VOLKSWAGEN has launched a van version of its Touareg off-roader for the Netherlands market to take advantage of the nation's vehicle taxation system.

It has leather upholstery, air conditioning and many other options standard on top-of-the-range machines, the manufacturer said. But behind the driver and passenger seat there is a flat load floor, a roof raised by a few centimetres and blacked-out windows, which mean the Touareg is taxed as a van.