VW has sent out a teaser image of the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3, being prepped for January's 2011 Dakar Rally. The image shows just the middle section of the truck's front end, but it is very similar to spy photos (pictured here) we previously published.
Although the bursh guard bars around the grille are not seen in the image, we do see the same style of mesh featured on the test vehicle. More striking is the identical look and placement of the blue valves, black hoses, steel tubing, and radiator elements. The exterior color of the vehicle in the teaser is also the same as that of the prototype.
Volkswagen will be looking to win their third Dakar in a row, following Carlos Sainz & Lucas Cruz' 2010 victory, and Giniel de Villiers & Dirk von Zitzewitz' 2009 win. The company plans to radically improve the aerodyamics of the current race-ready Touareg, while keeping the inspiration of the current mass production vehicle.
The 300-horsepower (224-kW) TDI engine already in use will remain unchanged. Also not receiving an update are the suspension and the chassis.
Testing of the new Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 will continue later this month in the Moroccan desert. Once the hot weather testing is complete, the car will be formally unveiled in August before taking on the St. Petersburg to Sochi Silk Way Rally in Russia one month later.
Volkswagen develops Race Touareg 3 for the 2011 Dakar Rally
New design, proven technology: Volkswagen is developing an evolution model of the Race Touareg that has been victorious twice in a row for the 2011 Dakar Rally in South America.
In January 2011 the Wolfsburg-based car manufacturer will field four Race Tourareg 3 vehicles with fundamentally updated aerodynamics at the desert classic through Argentina and Chile. The cross-country rally vehicle follows the latest production model change and picks up concrete characteristics of the avant-garde shape of the Touareg II. As a result, the new Race Touareg incorporates its outstanding vehicle dynamics qualities in an even more athletic outer skin than before, with proven and extremely successful technology underneath: the TDI engine with an approximate power output of 300 hp as well as the suspension and chassis basically remain untouched.
"The evolution of the vehicle into the Race Touareg 3 represents the next logical step we're taking towards our big aim of achieving the hat-trick at the Dakar Rally," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "With new aerodynamics this Race Touareg will look even more spectacular than before, while quoting aspects of the design language of the new production Touareg and, in addition, receiving further detailed optimizations. Its core is well proven because we continue to bank on the consistently optimised technology package that has been giving the Race Touareg first-rate performance and maximum reliability."
Evolution in steps: Race Touareg 3 with a new face
Newly designed and updated: the Race Touareg 3 is by no means a completely new development. It continues to be based on the basic engineering design of the Race Touareg 2 that was introduced in 2005. Since then the cross-country rally prototype with its innovative TDI engine has gone through an evolution in the area of the powertrain and suspension across several steps. In the step towards the Race Touareg 3 the main focus is on the new outer skin.
Tests with the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 in the deserts of Morocco at the end of July will literally ring in the hot phase of the development programme. The extensive tests including the simulation of several rally distances will be followed by the official unveiling of the vehicle in August. In autumn the Race Touareg 3 will have its baptism of fire in competition with others: the Silk Way Rally through Russia which starts in St. Petersburg and ends in Sochi (11-18 September 2010) is regarded as a serious dress rehearsal for the legendary Dakar Rally (01-16 January 2011).
