Volkswagen Gives Green Light to Touareg W12

Corruptible Power will be Out of Reach to North American Consumers

When is enough, enough? Following the adage, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely," Volkswagen is about to corrupt SUV buyers the world over. Currently available in plenty of powerful motor combinations, including a fuel efficient V6, a large V8 and massive V10 turbodiesel, Volkswagen has announced that it will be in fact fitting its 6.0-liter W12 into the Touaregs engine bay.

The reasoning behind this super-Touareg comes from the tough competition in the high-powered sport utility vehicle business. In one corner, Mercedes-Benz stands with its ML55 and recently upgraded supercharged G55, while in another BMW sports its X5 4.8is. "King of the Jungle" title goes to Porsche, with its 450 horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 Cayenne Turbo. Now the playing field is about to get much more even.

Currently, the only application of the 6.0-liter W12 is in the top of the line VW Phaeton full-size sedan, as well as Audis top-tier A8 L, with the engines debut reaching back into the late 90s with the W12/Nardo mid-engine supercar. Crafted from two narrow-angle V(R)6s, the engine is unique in that its much shorter in length than a traditional V12, allowing it to fit into wide but abbreviated engine bays. With plenty of space between the Touaregs wide fenders, the 6.0-liter W12 fits in without much trouble.

But to merely transplant an engine and call it a day wasnt going to be enough for Volkswagen. The brands engineers managed to bump output up by 30 horsepower for a total of 450, tying the Cayenne Turbo for the title of most powerful SUV. Theres no word on the SUVs performance capabilities as of yet, but expect the Touareg to at least be faster than the ML, G and X5, while marginally slower if not tied with the Cayenne Turbo.

On the outside, the Touareg W12 features the same appearance package as the Touareg Sport, which includes special double-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels, new front and rear aprons and sills as well as larger exhaust tips.

Two sets of Touareg W12s will be produced, with 333 destined to Middle Eastern markets and a further 100 made for European consumption. Where is the North American allocation? Nonexistent, or so it seems.

The price tag for this special super-sport utility vehicle is set at E90,000 ($108,400 USD), a bit steep, but then again, this is the only SUV on the market to be fitted with a 12-cylinder motor. Production for the first batch will start as of August, with deliveries taking place in mid autumn.