Volkswagen’s sales in Kazakhstan have plunged in recent years, and once the Touareg model is discontinued in 2026, the brand could disappear from the country altogether, according to Artur Miskaryan, head of the Automotive Market Monitoring and Analysis Agency.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Miskaryan noted that just a few years ago, the German automaker consistently ranked among the top 10 most popular brands in Kazakhstan. In 2021, local dealers sold more than 4,000 Volkswagens, accounting for about 3% to 4% of new car sales. At the time, the most popular models came from Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, while higher-end vehicles were imported from Germany.
That changed in 2022, when shipments of Russian-assembled passenger cars stopped.
«There were rare and small batches of cars from Germany: the Passat sedan and wagon, and the Touareg,» Miskaryan said. «Then only the Touareg remained. Market share in Kazakhstan dropped sharply.»
Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced it would end Touareg production in 2026 after 24 years, citing «a change in strategy and priorities» and a focus on more profitable models.
«As a cautious assumption, I’ll add this: as a standalone product, the Touareg’s price has almost caught up with the Audi Q7, and therefore the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. As a result, it’s become less attractive,» Miskaryan said.
He praised the three-liter diesel Touareg as «a wonderful car in all respects» but said the brand’s future in the country is uncertain.
«Likely, Volkswagen will soon cease its presence in Kazakhstan altogether, at least for a while,» he said.
Volkswagen has previously announced plans to localize production in Central Asia. In June, it signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s UzAvtosanoat to begin large-unit assembly in the fourth quarter of 2025, with vehicle kits supplied from China to cut logistics costs.
To confirm whether Volkswagen plans to exit Kazakhstan, Kursiv Auto reached out to Orbis Auto, the brand’s official distributor in the country. As of publication, the company had not responded.
