VW News: Volkswagen Planning to Build Two Smaller SUVs

[Blake Noble]

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.)

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[G. David Felt]

Interesting, but would the gas mileage of these reall allow them to sell well? Susuki is almost dead, their little awd auto's sure are not selling.

We all know that AWD does not get the best gas mileage so I wonder just how many people would want this size. I know there are select locations that people would love to have this type of auto, but I see this as a niche vehicle.

Then again other companies do have these models. So would we see their sales drop off. I wonder, I wonder, I wonder,,,,

[ocnblu]

The Buick Encore is an amusing little person. The rumored Chevy variant sounds cheeky. I'd like to see the Ford EcoSport sold here. These VWs sound pretty cool... a Polo 2-door CUV wit TDI sounds like a tasty little morsel.