VW Announces Yet Another MQB-Based Midsize SUV
Published On Nov 13, 2017 06:18 PM By Raunak
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The new MQB-based SUV will sit between VW's upcoming T-Cross compact SUV and the Tiguan in the South American market and will see the light of the day in 2020
German conglomerate Volkswagen Group has announced yet another SUV based on its popular MQB platform (Modularer Quer Baukasten a.k.a Modular Transverse Matrix) in the South American region. The SUV will roll out in Argentina in 2020 for the entire continent. Is it India-bound? Let us find out!
Pictured: Skoda Karoq
According to the media there, this new SUV, which is yet to get an official name, will sit between the yet to be revealed Polo-based compact SUV, the T-Cross, and the Tiguan, similar to the Skoda Karoq. For the uninitiated, the Skoda Karoq is the Yeti’s replacement and is likely India-bound in 2018 and has already been spotted in the country. Further, VW currently retails the Tiguan (Rs 27.49 lakh - 30.87 lakh) in India and the T-Cross compact SUV is expected to be introduced here as a rival to the Hyundai Creta (Rs 9.29 lakh - 14.55 lakh, all prices, ex-showroom, New Delhi). So, there’s vast space left between the two for a midsize SUV to drive in and breathe comfortably in VW's lineup.
While the T-Cross will be based on the MQB A0 platform, which is a smaller avatar of the MQB, same as the new Polo, the new SUV will underpin the MQB platform like the Skoda Karoq, Kodiaq, and the VW Tiguan among others.
Check out: VW T-Cross Spied For The First Time
In South America, this new VW SUV will primarily compete with the Jeep Compass. Brazil was the first country to manufacture and sell the Compass last November and till now Jeep has retailed over 45,000 SUVs there, making it the bestselling model in the midsize SUV space there.
Launched earlier this year in India, the Compass is the bestselling model in its segment here as well (averages around 2500 units monthly) thanks to its cut-throat pricing (Rs 15.16 lakh - 21.37 lakh ex-showroom, New Delhi). This indicates that the midsize SUV segment is on a boom. And while Skoda is likely to launch the Karoq soon in this segment, this new SUV could be VW’s answer for the same.
Pictured: Skoda Karoq
At the recent launch of the VW Passat, Steffen Knapp Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, told us that they are unlikely to bring the newly introduced T-Roc midsize SUV here mainly because it would cannibalise the Tiguan, which is priced between Rs 27.49 lakh - 30.87 lakh. Now, since the new SUV in question is believed to be loosely based on the Skoda Karoq, which is anticipated to be locally assembled in Aurangabad and is likely be competitively priced, VW India could mull over introducing the same as well. If launched, both the SUVs will largely go up against the Jeep Compass.
Pictured: Skoda Karoq
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