Porsche Cayenne / Volkswagen Touareg
by Sam Livingstone

Both Volkswagen and Porsche are entering into a new market with these two new SUVs. In order to save development and production costs they have chosen to produce two two 'sister' cars, and both are making their international show debut at Paris.

Sharing the same platform which extends to shared doors, glazing and roof as well as the hidden elements of the structure which dictate their proportion, both cars are clearly very similar. But obviously both Volkswagen and Porsche are playing up the differences between the two products.

Engines are unique to each brand, the Touareg topping out with the W12 first seen in the Audi A8 and now in the Phaeton and Bentley (albeit supercharged), the Porsche topping out with its own turbocharged V8. And they have both applied their own corporate design language to clearly differentiate through their exterior and interior design.

The Touareg comfortably adopts a Passat / Phaeton face and rear lamps similar to those of the Phaeton and features a clearly Volkswagen interior. The Cayenne seems less comfortable wearing a face derived (and changed little) from the latest generation 911 turbo. Inside it uses the characteristic Porsche dials and steering wheel shape as well as air vents and central console that are reminiscent of the Boxter / 911, but seem to sit less easily with this large SUV than the Touareg design does.

But the Cayenne is most interesting from a design perspective in being the only production Porsche since the original 911 to have had input from Butzi Porsche. Although his design proposal was rejected in favour of the more conservative design chosen, elements of his design were incorporated into the design.

Both of these cars will likely be very successful in this lucrative market sector competing with the BMW X5 and the new Volvo XC. And both cars use the existing corporate design language of their brand to help a new vehicle type for their range be accepted. But neither design contributes much to the development of the SUV sector.

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