Volkswagen has been in the Indian market for nearly two decades and the brand has not exploited the SUV market in India, yet. The brand has employed the SUV strategy in the global market and has been successful and now has 10 SUVs in its line-up. Volkswagen is now planning a similar strategy for India, to bring more SUVs to the Indian market and the brand portfolio could see as many as five SUVs by 2020-21. Volkswagen could achieve this in such a short time because of the new import rules that allow a car manufacturer to bring in 2500 units without the lengthy homologation process and the international-spec cars will offer high-end design, handling dynamics and a plethora of new features, which Volkswagen has identified as a customer demand, in the SUV segment and the brand is primed to deliver just that. In India, Volkswagen already sells the Tiguan SUV and is expected to be followed by the T-Roc, the Tiguan Allspace, the Touareg and lastly the T-Cross.
T-Roc
The Volkswagen T-Roc made its world debut in 2017 and the small SUV based on the MQB platform which is shared with the Volkswagen Golf. The front end has large air intakes with the headlights that integrate with the grille along with plenty of chrome accents. The daytime running lights that surround the air intakes are integrated into the bumper and also work as turn indicators. Below the DRLs are the fog lights which are set wide apart on the bumper. The rear profile looks sporty with large diffusers and all LED tail lights.
On the interior, the T-Roc gets a cascading centre console with a large touchscreen infotainment system and three pot dials for climate control. The instrument console is a fully digital display and the upholstery gets a dual tone finish.
In the engine department, the SUV is expected to come only with petrol powered motor in the beginning – 1.5-litre TSI petrol inline 4-cylinder motor producing 148 HP of power @ 5000 RPM and 339 Nm of torque @ 1500-3500 RPM coupled to a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG.
The car is likely to be priced around INR 23 lakh.
Tiguan Allspace
The Tiguan Allspace is a longer version of the Tiguan and can seat 7 people. The Tiguan measures 4486 mm in length, 1839 mm in width and 1672 mm in height with a 2677 mm wheelbase. The 7-seater Tiguan Allspace is 215 mm longer than the standard Tiguan and has a 110 mm longer wheelbase than the standard 5-seater.
The current Volkswagen Tiguan is powered by a 2.0-litre TDI turbocharged diesel common rail direct injection motor producing 143 PS of power @ 4000 RPM and 340 Nm of torque @ 1750-2750 RPM mated to a 7-speed DSG (Dual Shift Gearbox) Automatic Transmission. The Tiguan Allspace is expected to be powered by the same engine and is expected to come with 4Motion all-wheel-drive.
The SUV is expected to be priced around the INR 30 lakh mark.
Touareg
The Toureg is based on the Volkswagen’s MLB Evo platform which also underpins the Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley and the SUV is huge and luxurious. The infotainment screen is measured at 15-inches and it gets a huge digital instrument console. It is expected to be priced between INR 65 lakh to INR 70 lakh depending on variant.
T-Cross
It is expected the T-Cross will use the MQB AO IN platform which has been developed exclusively for the Indian market. The exterior dimensions of the international spec SUV measure 4108mm in length, 1760mm in width, 1584mm in height and a wheelbase of 2551mm. The T-Cross is expected to be powered by a 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine that produces 95 PS of power and 175 Nm of torque mated to a 5-speed gearbox.