With new Touareg, VW one-ups the past - Irish Examiner
So it was with the Volkswagen Touareg — a big SUV with credible credentials but overshadowed and overwhelmed by its close relatives, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7. It might be the case that both Audi and Porsche are owned by Volkswagen, but... On the one hand all Porsche models are gilded with automotive gold leaf and thus have a cachet all of their own, while Audi don’t do too badly on the desirability front either. This fact is not determined by the relative quality of those machines made in Zuffenhausen, Ingolstadt, or Wolfsburg, but by the rampant consumerism which is part and parcel of modern life. Thus the perceived difference between these three cars which share many components and characteristics is in the value we place on the merit of one badge over another. The almost heraldic Porsche emblem and Audi’s four intertwined rings will always hold sway over the utilitarian VW badge. Originally seen in 2002, the Touareg is built in VW’s Bratislava plant alongside the Cayenne and the Q7. It was intended to be an SUV with sportscar-like qualities, particularly in the handling department. Source: www.irishexaminer.com
