Seven Volkswagen SUVs within five years

Volkswagen Group Australia will dramatically boost the number of SUV models in its range from two to seven by early next decade, including two all-new small SUVs now confirmed for local showrooms in 2018.

Designed to cash in on Australia's unabated love for SUVs, the German brand's rapid SUV expansion will be led by this month's new Tiguan, which will spawn a long-wheelbase seven-seat 'Tiguan XL' model also confirmed for release here in 2018.

As we reported last month, when Volkswagen promised five new SUVs for Australian showrooms within 30 months, the five models were also believed to include a five-door 'coupe' or 'CC' version of the Tiguan, the third-generation Touareg and a small SUV.

Reiterating those plans at this week's Tiguan launch, VGA product marketing manager Jeff Shafer today said that while the Tiguan CC was not among the five SUVs due here by February 2019, not one but two sub-Tiguan SUV models would be among them.

"Tiguan is really the beginning of a rush of SUVs for Volkswagen here in Australia," he said.

"We're going to have more and more SUVs coming over the next 29 months -- four additional models to be exact -- and that will range from small and sporty to large and premium.

"We're sure this will appeal to Australians, particularly with their love of SUVs."

Shafer confirmed that both small SUVs will be on sale here by early 2019, and indicated that the production version of at least one of them would be revealed soon – perhaps as early as next week's Paris motor show.

"The small SUV will arrive in 2018," he said. "Soon after that will be another smaller SUV beneath Tiguan. The picture will become clearer over the next few months."

Volkswagen's Australian chief Michael Bartsch confirmed to motoring.com.au that the first small SUV to arrive here would be based on the T-ROC concept revealed at the 2014 Geneva motor show.

"We'll see T-ROC in 2018," he said.

“2018 will be a pretty big SUV year for us. We haven‘t had enough breadth and depth in the SUV market … but after 2018 we will have a very comprehensive portfolio. That’s why we have five SUVs coming in the next 29 months.”

Like the new Tiguan, which will compete with Mazda's upcoming MkII CX-5 mid-sizer in Australia's largest SUV segment, the Golf-sized T-ROC -- which will rival Mazda's popular CX-3 -- will be based on the same MQB chassis architecture that underpins the Golf 7, a facelifted version of which will be revealed in Paris next week.

While the T-ROC enters production next year, it will be followed into production within a year by a second, even smaller Polo-sized SUV previewed by the T-Cross concept at this year's Geneva show.

Based on the next-generation Polo, the production version of the T-Cross micro-SUV should appear next year. South America's pint-size, up!-based Taigun is not on the radar for Australia.

Both new sub-Tiguan SUVs were announced at Geneva in March, but this is the first time both models have been confirmed for Australia, and by early 2019.

In addition to this year's new Tiguan and 2018's Tiguan XL, T-ROC and new Touareg (previewed by the T-Prime GTE concept in Beijing earlier this year and based on the same MLB platform as the Audi Q7), the baby SUV will bring to five number of VW SUVs – not counting the Golf and Passat Alltrack crossovers -- on sale here by early 2019.

Although 2017 looks like being a quiet SUV release year for Volkswagen, add the four-seat Tiguan CC and an all-new seven-seat off-road SUV based on the next-generation Amarok ute due by 2020, and Volkswagen's Australian SUV family should expand to seven members within about five years.

Bartsch said a large seven-seat SUV – in addition to the mid-size Tiguan XL and Volkswagen's next-gen Touareg luxury flagship – was crucial in a market like Australia, and wouldn't rule out eventual right-hand drive production of North America's large CrossBlue, which would be VGA's eighth SUV if sold here.

However, he indicated the Amarok-based 4x4 wagon now under development in the US  was a more realistic proposition Down Under than the CrossBlue, given the lack of interest in the seven-seat crossover wagon from other right-hand drive markets.

“Offering a seven-seat SUV is fairly critical for us,” he said. "Even though not many people actually use all seven seats, it is important for them to have them … it’s a reality, and not just in Australia but globally.

"We've asked Germany for a large seven-seat SUV. But the critical thing here is how many RHD markets want it [CrossBlue]. The UK doesn’t seem to, nor does India, Africa or Hong Kong.

"They must have it also for us to get it. We want a seven-seater SUV for our market beyond the Tiguan XL, but it has to have a global ‘want’ too.”

SUVs coming from Volkswagen:
Tiguan MkII – September
Tiguan XL – 2018
Compact SUV – 2018
Touareg MkIII – 2018
Micro SUV – Early 2019
Tiguan CC – 2020
Amarok-based SUV – 2021