Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years

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VW starts the big SUV offensive

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-volkswagen

VW is expanding its SUV program – although a convertible should not be among them for the time being, despite the T-Roc study

Source: Volkswagen AG

Volkswagen is far behind when it comes to SUVs. But now the Wolfsburg are really accelerating. In the next three years there will be eight other SUVs in addition to the recently released Tiguan.

I.In relation to the size of the brand, Volkswagen should actually be significantly better equipped when it comes to SUVs. Only two out of five series are occupied. Now, however, an offensive of the popular high seat models and crossover vehicles is being prepared. "In the future we will have an SUV in every relevant segment," says Thomas Treptow, Head of Product Marketing.

Europe’s largest carmaker has already impressively demonstrated that VW has the ability to roll up the field from behind: the Tiguan has been around since the end of 2007. Despite its belated development, it became a top seller. However, some doubt that sales will continue so quickly. When the first generation came out, there were six competitors, today there are around 30.

"SUVs are a big hit with car manufacturers"

SUV sales in Germany have risen steadily for ten years. 20 percent of all new cars are SUVs. Automotive expert Ferdinand Dudenhoffer does not expect the boom to end in the near future either. Source: The World

For the first time, the Tiguan will no longer be available in just one version. Initially, an extended version (plus eleven centimeters of wheelbase) is planned, which will make its debut in November in Ghuangzhou, China. The Tiguan XL can optionally be fitted with seven seats, an important purchase criterion in China.

However, VW is also sending the short version to the Middle Kingdom. The Tiguan XL for the Chinese market is produced locally. The version for North America, on the other hand, is produced at the VW plant in Mexico. A good year after its introduction in these countries (early 2017), the long Tiguan will also come to Europe.

The derivative number two – debut probably at the end of 2017, beginning of 2018 – will be a coupe variant of the Tiguan.

The SUV family should not have a uniform face

Before that, however, other SUVs from the Volkswagen brand pull up. “There will be two more SUVs under the Tiguan,” said Frank Welsch, Volkswagen’s Board Member for Development, recently. As early as next year, a Golf-based SUV will be on the line, positioned roughly where the Tiguan I previously left its scent mark. The length will be about 4.30 meters. VW already revealed the design direction with the T-Roc study, which debuted in Detroit in 2013.

Number two below the Tiguan is said to be in the Opel Mokka district. This segment in particular promises high growth. The T-Cross, shown as an open version in Geneva in 2016, is considered a blueprint. Industry insiders do not see it as absurd that VW could also offer the vehicle in series production as a normal model and as a convertible. Range Rover is currently exploring the market with the Evoque Convertible.

Everything off-road – or what?

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-suvs

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The new VW Tiguan can do more off-road than one would normally expect an SUV to do. But it does everything with electronics (here: hill descent control), there is no off-road reduction…t.

Source: Stefan Anker

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-build

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The strong emphasis on the horizontal in the radiator grille is striking in the design. This design somewhat hides the fact that the bonnet is higher than its predecessor.

Source: Stefan Anker

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The belt line has also moved up, and the ground clearance of the Tiguan versions with all-wheel drive is eleven millimeters higher than that of the front-wheel drive. Stay with it… 20 centimeters of air under the floor, what …

Source: Stefan Anker

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-suvs

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… not enough for every hump, but helps the Tiguan to be approved as an off-road vehicle in Europe. By the way, if a bike is hanging in the air, that’s no problem: It …is braked electronically and the power goes …

Source: Stefan Anker

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-volkswagen

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… the wheels that are in contact with the ground. Incidentally, the off-road front, which is subject to a surcharge, can be seen here (160 to 330 euros, depending on the equipment), it offers 25.6 instead of 18.3 degrees of gust…shear angle.

Source: Stefan Anker

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Even from the outside it is easy to see that the now 4.49 meter long Tiguan is quite spacious inside.

Source: Stefan Anker

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The cockpit is at the usual VW level, the display in the middle is joined by the active info display, which shows the speedometer and tachometer digitally and variably…ellt

Source: Volkswagen

VW design chief Klaus Bischoff does not want to give the new SUV family a single face. The optical differentiation should be ensured, among other things, by the size and silhouette of the headlights. Like the T-Cross study, the Polo format will have small headlights and a large grille. With the T-Roc (Golf) it is exactly the opposite, while the next Touareg gets the headlights that are smaller in relation to the grill.

Its renewal is planned for 2017/2018. He then shares the MLB evo longitudinal construction kit with the current Audi Q7 and the next Porsche Cayenne. How one can imagine the next Touareg, Volkswagen revealed at the auto show in Beijing. The T-Prime study also gives an outlook on the further strategy for SUVs: out of the terrain, into even more lifestyle, digitization and comfort.

New models with plug-in hybrid and 48-volt partial electrical system

The SUV offensive also includes the so-called midsize model that Volkswagen intends to manufacture in its US plant in Chattanooga and that is specially tailored to the needs of American customers. With a length of a good five meters, the footprint is on a par with the Touareg.

The mid-size SUV will, however, be significantly cheaper, use the maximum flexibility of the MQB platform and have a wheelbase of three meters and accordingly up to seven seats. The Los Angeles Auto Show is scheduled for the debut in November. The market launch will begin in spring 2017. Volkswagen will also be selling the mid-size SUV in China. A coupe offshoot is said to be under discussion for 2018.

Seat Ateca – The Spanish version of the Tiguan

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Seat charges 19,900 euros for its first SUV, the Ateca. For this you get the 1.0 TSI with three cylinders and 115 PS. For comparison: For the cheapest Tiguan, the 1.4 TSI with 12…5 HP, you currently pay 25,625 euros.

Source: Seat

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-suvs

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The Ateca is not supposed to be a Tiguan competitor either, at least that’s what Seat claims. "With the Ateca we are primarily targeting models like the Nissan Qashqai," says Ulric…h Selzer, responsible for global sales.

Source: Seat

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Seat can deliberately keep a tight margin on the prices, after all, you didn’t have to pay for the sinfully expensive development costs on your own. Much comes from the corporate shelf of the… Mother in Wolfsburg. Mainly these are the chassis and the entire drive architecture.

Source: Seat

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The lines of the Ateca, on the other hand, are reminiscent of the in-house Leon. At 4.36 meters, Seat’s first SUV is about the same size as the first Tiguan. The wheelbase is 2.64 meters.

Source: Seat

Volkswagen: VW will build these new SUVs over the next few years-years

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The driver is greeted by sportily contoured seats and a classic, functional cockpit with clearly laid out instruments and an 8-inch display in the center of the dashboard. D.…Below are the usual rotary controls for air conditioning and ventilation. Nobody should be overwhelmed when it comes to operation.

Source: Seat

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While the driver and front passenger sit comfortably, the rear is a bit cramped – especially for adults. But fit into the …

Source: Seat

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… Trunk quite generous 510 liters. However, only with the front-wheel drive variant. The all-wheel drive version loses 25 liters.

Source: Seat

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But with it you can even dare to go into easier terrain – even if very few will probably do so.

Source: Seat

It has not yet been decided whether Volkswagen will also make a mini-SUV below four meters. Trend: rather no. The numbers would be too small for Europe. This small SUV segment is doing better in South America.

When it comes to the drives for their SUV models, the Wolfsburg-based company relies on tried and tested technology. The latest development is the 1.5-liter TSI four-cylinder. At the end of 2016, it will go into series production for the first time with outputs of 130 and 150 hp.

From T-Roc upwards, plug-in hybrids as well as 48-volt partial electrical systems with a belt starter generator (mild hybrid) are also used. The latter technology is currently a reasonably inexpensive means of reducing consumption in the double-digit percentage range and thus further approximating the CO2 emissions required by Brussels. sp-x

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