Volkswagen Developing Sub-4m Crossover, Could Be India-bound

Volkswagen, in a presentation on its future plans for the Brazilian market, has revealed that it plans to launch four new SUVs. Of them, the T-Cross will be a Hyundai Creta/Maruti S-Cross rival, a new SUV called the Tarek will rival the Jeep Compass and a new B-SUV will compete against the Toyota Fortuner.

But the most important revelation was that Volkswagen is developing a sub-4m SUV to compete against the likes of the Honda WR-V, Maruti Vitara Brezza and the Tata Nexon.

The new crossover is designed for price-sensitive markets in South America and Asia, including India and is expected to be based on Volkswagen’s MQB A0 platform, the one that also underpins the latest-gen Polo hatchback.

There is hope that this yet unnamed crossover will arrive at our shores, considering the A0 platform is being adapted for the Indian market by Skoda India and will be used by Volkswagen India too. The ‘MQB A0 IN’ platform and the subsequent changes to the company’s manufacturing facility at Chakan will cost about Rs 8,000 crore.

When will Volkswagen make the new sub-4m SUV for India? Well, according to announcements made by the company recently, that will only happen after the launch of a Creta rival, which is expected to be rolled out by 2020. Expect the new sub-4m SUV to follow soon after, and a Polo replacement after that. Volkswagen has categorically said that it will not develop/launch any cars smaller than the Polo in India, owing to cutthroat competition in those segments.