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Volkswagen will preview its plans for a new entry level SUV at the upcoming Geneva motor show in the form of a Polo-based concept car Wolfsburg sources say will head into production in 2018 as a sub-$25,000 rival to the likes of the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V.
Called the T-Cross, the new high-riding Volkswagen is described as a sister model to the earlier T-Roc – a larger Golf-based SUV concept revealed in 2014 and due to reach showrooms in five-door form in 2017.
The T-Cross and T-Roc form part of a volume-segment SUV model strategy being fast tracked by Volkswagen chairman, Matthias Mueller, according to a highly placed Volkswagen manager familiar with the company's future model portfolio.
"The plan is to position production versions of the T-Cross and T-Roc underneath the Tiguan and Touareg in a part of the market that is currently experiencing large growth for SUV models in key markets," said the manager.
Both of the new models are conceived around the German car maker's flexible MQB platform and are planned to be offered with the choice of either petrol, diesel or plug-in petrol-electric hybrid drivetrains together with either front- or four-wheel drive.
As with its larger sibling, the production version of the upcoming T-Cross concept is planned to receive its own uniquely styled exterior in a move aimed at providing Volkswagen with far stronger representation than the (European only) Polo Cross, which boasts the same basic exterior as the standard five-door Polo hatchback, in the keenly fought compact SUV ranks.
Styled under the guise of Volkswagen brand design boss, Klaus Bischoff, the T-Cross is expected to borrow elements from T-Roc, including its full width grille, side window graphic and distinctive wheel arches, in a push to provide the two new SUV models with a common lineage in much the same way as the existing Polo and Golf hatchbacks.
Volkswagen's original plans for an even smaller SUV based on the same underpinnings as the Up, as previewed by the Taigun concept at the 2012 San Paulo motor show, have been abandoned due, in part to the final crisis in key South American markets, including Brazil, where the 3800mm long five door was proposed to be produced.
The reference to the letter "T" in their names suggest the T-Cross and T-Roc will continue the Volkswagen tradition in which each of its dedicated SUV models have received a model name beginning with the letter "T", including the Tiguan and Touareg.
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