Volkswagen’s desert-dwelling Touareg One Million model arrives in the Middle East

Special edition of the German manufacturer's upmarket SUV produced in honour of the number of the vehicles sold

The Touareg One Million has arrived in the Middle East. All photos courtesy Volkswagen

Price-wise, you won’t be surprised to hear the One Million is a little pricier than an average Touareg.

Touareg One Million models start at around the Dh320,600 mark.

You won’t be surprised to hear that name references the milestone number of units the manufacturer has sold.

Here's where the Toureg story began, in 2003.

And here's where it currently sits in the latest model.

Inside a third-generation Touareg.

An early version is put through its paces on the test track.

The Touareg in 2014.

A 2008 version taking on a skid pan.

A Sport Touareg from 2004.

The third generation of the Touareg.

In sunny climes in 2013.

Reach for the sky.

Touaregs roll off the production line.

Wheel detail on a third-generation Touareg.

And off the One Million goes.

Volkswagen Touareg’s One Million model has arrived in the Middle East, complete with an array of exclusive equipment to lift it above its brethren.

The astute won’t be surprised to learn the name references the milestone number of units the manufacturer has sold (though it’s probably a few more than that now as this special edition was first announced last year).

Alongside new paintwork and wheel trims, the One Million has Puglia leather seats, ornamented with diamond stitching, which has also been applied to the steering wheel, gear lever and dashboard, as well as badges spread both inside and outside the vehicle that lets you know it’s a different beast to all those other models out and about.

Since its introduction in 2002, the Touareg, which has had three distinct versions in its history, has been a key part of Volkswagen’s line-up, occupying, as it still does, a segment falling between mainstream and high-end SUVs.

Click through the gallery above to see images of the Touareg One Million, and past versions of the vehicle. 

Back in the day, it was a car created using the combined talents of Volkswagen and fellow German manufacturers Audi and Porsche, and the brief was to create a vehicle that could handle the worst off-road conditions imaginable and yet still drive like a sports car.

If you count the successes of purpose-built versions in hardcore motoring events such as the Dakar Rally, they achieved their aim.

In terms of cost, you won't be surprised to hear the One Million is a little pricier than an average Touareg, with models starting at about the Dh320,600 ($87,300) mark.