Volkswagen is shaking things up with plans to trim its lineup. Volkswagen is killing off one of its oldest SUVs, but an electric vehicle is also in line to get the axe.
Volkswagen is retiring the Touareg and electric ID.5 SUVs
The Volkswagen Touareg has been on sale for over 24 years. First launched in 2022, the luxury SUV was developed in tandem with the Porsche Cayenne, sharing powertrain components and a similar design.
Next year, Volkswagen will retire it from its lineup. Company insiders confirmed to Autocar that Touareg production will end in 2026, leaving the Tayron as the largest Volkswagen SUV available in the UK.
Unlike several of its popular nameplates, including the Golf and Tiguan, the Touareg has no direct successor planned.
However, that’s not the only vehicle Volkswagen is cutting from its lineup. The ID.5, Volkswagen’s electric coupe-SUV, is also getting the axe.
The ID.5 was just launched in 2021 as a sportier, more coupe-like alternative to the ID.4, but it has failed to live up to the hype. With the ID.4 overshadowing the coupe version, Volkswagen will cut it from its lineup starting in 2027.
The move comes as VW doubles down on more affordable, mass-market EVs like the upcoming ID.2 and ID.1. Volkswagen will launch the ID.2 next year, which could arrive as the ID.Polo, followed by an SUV version. In 2027, the production version of the ID.1 is scheduled to launch.
Volkswagen is also reportedly developing a “mini Buzz,” an electric MPV that will replace the Touran. Although nothing is official, the idea has been brought up in boardroom meetings.
However, with Skoda considering a similar vehicle, sources close to the company’s CEO, Thomas Schäfer, say it’s not a priority right now. The source added, “We looked at it, but the market is demanding crossovers and SUV models.” That’s where Volkswagen is focusing next with a drastic overhaul to its ID series of electric vehicles, expected.
Although it had eight of the top ten best-selling EVs in Germany in the first half of 2025, VW has struggled to keep pace in global markets.
Will the new entry-level EV lineup help it turn things around? That’s what Volkswagen is betting on. We will see how it plays out over the next few months.
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