Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Teased For Malaysia, ROI Now Open

It appears that Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) will introduce the Touareg R-Line soon. Registration of Interest (ROI) for the model is now open online via the Volkswagen Malaysia website.

Volkswagen is set to see its local SUVs line-up expand this year beyond the Tiguan Allspace trio. Earlier this week, brand custodians Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) took to social media - Facebook and Instagram - and teased the Volkswagen Touareg R-Line, opening its registration of interest (ROI) online too.

For the uninitiated, the Touareg is the largest-sized SUV model available in Volkswagen’s current line-up. The current third generation (chassis code: CR) iteration has been around since 2018, and it underpins the VW Group’s MLB Evo platform.

The latter fact sees the Touareg share the same bones as the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and Q8, Bentley Bentayga, as well as the Lamborghini Urus, amongst many others. Given what VPCM published online via the Volkswagen Malaysia website, there’s indeed plenty to look forward to.

VPCM published the trio of images above, which indicates plenty of things prospects can look forward to in the Touareg R-Line - LED Matrix headlights, self-levelling air suspension, Dynaudio hi-fi, and more.

For Malaysia, the Touareg is set to be offered in sporty R-Line guise, and its kit list is headlined by things like matrix LED headlights, self-levelling air suspension, top-shelf Dynaudio hi-fi, not forgetting the VW brand’s IQ.Drive active driver assist (ADAS) suite that will also include night vision.

Under the hood, VPCM confirmed the Touareg R-Line for Malaysia will harness a 3.0-litre TSI V6 turbo petrol heart that outputs 335 HP and 450 NM. Expect said outputs to drive all four wheels via VW’s signature 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup paired with an 8-speed automatic box.

Notably, we have confirmation that VPCM will locally assemble (CKD) the Touareg R-Line in Pekan, Pahang. No prices were hinted yet though...

No prices were revealed, but the Malaysia-bound Touareg R-Line is expected to command a competitive figure compared to its higher-end cousins mentioned earlier, more so given the next fact: the Touareg R-Line will be locally assembled (CKD) in Malaysia.

The latter was confirmed by PHS Automotive Malaysia (PHSAM) – VPCM’s parent company – execs we spoke to earlier this week during the Audi SQ8 e-tron launch. This might entice prospecting buyers seeking a full-sized luxury SUV that’s not too pricey as the Touareg’s posher cousins noted prior.

Given that ROI is now open online, we may not have long to wait to know tentative prices. For reference, the Touareg's high-end cousin the Cayenne (also CKD) starts from RM599,999.

For reference, PHSAM currently offers the Audi Q8 in fully imported (CBU) S-Line guise at RM881,990. Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), on the other hand, recently launched the updated 2024 Porsche Cayenne – which is also CKD – from RM599,999 onwards.

No firm launch date or timeline was disclosed, but given that PHSAM has already begun ROI online, we may not have long to wait. What do you folks reckon then? Would you fancy this potentially more ‘accessible’ cousin of the Q8, Cayenne, Bentayga and Urus? Hit the comments below…