Volkswagen Planning to Build Two Smaller SUVs

Blake Noble

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

May 7th, 2012

At the moment, Volkswagen builds only two different flavors of sports-utility vehicles. On one hand you have the small highway-oriented Golf-based Tiguan, and on the other you have the larger off-road capable Touraeg.

However, that stage may be preparing to change as VW could be planning to expand their portfolio of SUVs in the near future. According to a recent report sourced from German business newspaper Handelsblatt, Volkswagen is planning to introduce two new car-based SUVs that will slot in below the compact Tiguan.

In the report, Handelsblatt claims that VW is seeing a strong, growing demand for small crossovers and said, while citing company sources, that a compact SUV based on the Up! city car is “certain” and will be priced at well below 20,000 euros. Other than the miniature Up! soft-roader, the German paper also went on to say that work on a previously rumored crossover called the “Rockton” has resumed as well. The Rockton was supposed to be based on the Suzuki SX4, but since the VW-Suzuki partnership has recently dissolved it’s said that it will be based on the company’s Polo model instead.

When reached for comment, a VW spokesman would not confirm the two models, saying that the automaker hasn’t “made a decision yet.”

If Volkswagen builds Up! and Polo-based crossovers, then the Opel Mokka (otherwise known as the Buick Encore) and Mini Countryman could face some interesting competition.

Source: Automotive News (sub. req.)