tech2 News StaffMar 24, 2021 19:44:44 IST
Volkswagen India has today announced it will have a total of four SUVs on sale in India in 2021. The headline, of course, is that the Volkswagen Taigun’s India launch has been confirmed to take place at the start of the festive season this year, and the company has also confirmed the Tiguan facelift is set to be launched in the coming months. In addition, the Volkswagen T-Roc and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace – introduced last year – will also continue, with VW choosing to ship more units into the country.
The Volkswagen Taigun launch is slated to take place sometime in the third quarter of 2021, between July and September, at the onset of the festive season. This will follow the introduction of the Skoda Kushaq, which is mechanically related to the Taigun and is set to be launched in June. The Taigun is a vital model for Volkswagen, and equally as important for the Group in general, as it is the second model to be based on the India-specific MQB A0 IN platform. Volkswagen is likely to position it as a premium midsize SUV, and resultingly, Volkswagen Taigun prices are expected to be in the Rs 11-17 lakh range.
The Volkswagen Taigun will arrive in the festive season, while the Tiguan facelift will be launched by mid-2021. Image: Volkswagen
In other big news, the Volkswagen Tiguan is set to make a return in its five-seat avatar by the middle of 2021. Previously on sale in India with a diesel engine (but discontinued in 2020), the Volkswagen Tiguan facelift will be sold with a 2.0-litre, 190 hp TSI turbo-petrol engine, the same unit that also powers the Tiguan Allspace. There will be no diesel engine on offer, but the important part here is that the Volkswagen Tiguan facelift will be locally assembled, shipped into India in completely knocked down (CKD) form. Because of this, the Volkswagen Tiguan facelift’s price is set to be in the range of Rs 25-28 lakh (ex-showroom), and the five-seat SUV will rival the Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson as well as the Citroen C5 Aircross, which will be launched in India on 7 April.
To complete its SUV portfolio, Volkswagen will also bring more units of the T-Roc and Tiguan Allspace to our shores. Both models were first launched in India in 2020, shipped into the country in completely built-up (CBU) form under the relaxed homologation norms for imports. The T-Roc – priced at Rs 20 lakh – sold out fairly quickly in the months following its launch, and Volkswagen also found takers for the more expensive Allspace, which cost a little over Rs 34 lakh. Encouraged by the response, the company has decided to import more units of the T-Roc and Allspace to India, but once again, supply will be limited. The 2021 Volkswagen T-Roc price is expected to be Rs 21.35 lakh when it is launched early in April, while the 2021 Volkswagen Allspace is set to cost close to Rs 35 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom) when it arrives later this year.
Post this announcement, Volkswagen also revealed a ‘Matt Edition’ of its ageing Polo hatchback. To be offered on the GT variant only, the Polo Matt Edition sports a matte grey paint job, and is likely to cost a small premium over the standard Polo GT when it is launched in the coming months.
