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  The new Volkswagen Touareg has emerged with sweeter new looks, more curves and a much trimmer body line. Photo Gallery

Supermodel school has been good for the Volkswagen Touareg.

Freed from the unbreakable early ties to its SUV clone companion, the Porsche Cayenne, the Touareg has emerged for 2010 with sweeter new looks, more curves and a much trimmer body line.

The new-age Touareg is a full 208 kilograms lighter than the model it replaces — and it shows everywhere, from the new look to improved safety and driving dynamics. To add extra fuel to the supermodel push, Volkswagen has also added a diesel-engine bonus with the promise of a 20 per cent improvement in efficiency.

But the Touareg makeover is not just good news. The bulky off-roader will not make it to Australia until early in 2011 and the petrol-electric version of the SUV — previewed at the Geneva Motor Show — is not part of the plan even though it has 279kW/580Nm and sips petrol at just 8.2 litres/100km.  “We think that with the weight reductions, improved aerodynamics and the more economical engines, there is really no need for the hybrid,” says Karla Gehling, spokesman for Volkswagen Group Australia.

He denies that VW could not afford to have the car certified for Australia and says it comes down to the complication in local showrooms. “It’s more about the added cost of having it in the range,” he says. But, typically, he is not bolting the door. “However, we may revisit the idea of a hybrid in the future," Gehling says.

The second-generation Touareg is distinctly Volkswagen in design, from the family grille to the cabin. There are deliberate hints of Golf, Polo and the new Jetta coupe in the car’s rakish profile. Despite the diet, the LandCruiser-rivally SUV has grown 40mm in length while its height has been cut by 20mm.

The new wagon sits on a slightly longer wheelbase, which has freed up interior room. Like the smaller Tiguan SUV, the rear seat is capable of sliding and the rear seatbacks recline. Boot space is 580 litres with the rear seats up and can be expanded to 1642 litres.

Australia is likely to get a 206kW/360Nm V6 petrol engine as well as the show cars’ 176kW/550Nm 3.0-litre TDI and 250kW/800Nm 4.2-litre V8 TDI engine, which replaces the V10 and becomes the new range-topper. The V6 TDI uses 7.4l/100km and the V8 TDI 9.1l/100km, 2.8 litres/100km less than the V10. Every model gets a new eight-speed transmission, there is stop-start engine technology on some models and a new touch-screen satellite navigation system.

VW has dived deep into its upmarket parts bin to add high-tech features like high-beam assist, which automatically dips the headlights when they sense oncoming traffic. Side assist, which warns of vehicles in the blind spots, is also likely to be on the options list for Australia 'active' air suspension and airconditioned, massaging seats.

The Touareg is likely to be available with a standard 4motion all-wheel drive and a system called 4Xmotion “terrain tech packet”. It has a low crawler range as well as centre and rear differentials that can each be fully locked for off-road work and five-stage control for the four-wheel drive system — where each stage provides progressively extra grip and traction.