Photo: Volkswagen
Crossovers. Love them or hate them, they’re more popular than station wagons and the more affordable than body-on-frame SUVs like the Toyota 4Runner. In the United States, for example, CUVs accounted for one in four new cars sold last year.
Toyota and Honda lead the sales charts with 448,068 and 384.168 units of the RAV4 and CR-V, while Volkswagen couldn’t do better than 109,572 examples of the long-wheelbase Tiguan with three rows of seats. Given these circumstances, the biggest automaker in Germany intends to add another crossover to the U.S. lineup.
Previewed at the beginning of September, the Taos takes its namee from a town in New Mexico. Why did Volkswagen choose it, though? For starters, it starts with a T like every other utility vehicle that Wolfsburg manufactures, ranging from the T-Cross to the Touareg. And secondly, Taos is “a small city that offers big things.”
Hein Schafer, senior vice president for Product Marketing and Strategy, claims that the town of Taos “was a perfect fit” for a compact crossover that promises “great value, excellent fuel economy, and great packaging, as well as advanced infotainment and driver-assistance features.” Scheduled to be revealed next month, the newcomer appears to be heavily based on the Tharu, also known as the Tarek.
Designed on MQB A1 underpinnings shared with the SEAT Ateca and Skoda Karoq, the Taos will indirectly replace the Beetle if you can believe it. As a matter of fact, the Puebla assembly plant where the cutesy bug was made until 2019 is going to be the stomping ground of the all-new crossover with a compact footprint.
As for engine and transmission choices, it’s not hard to guess what Volkswagen has in the pipeline. The 2.0-liter TSI with 184 horsepower and eight-speed automatic of the Tiguan are the most obvious culprits, a pairing that should be more than adequate for a vehicle of this size.
There’s no word on hybrid or PHEV options, though, but the soon-to-be-revealed ID.4 will level up to all-electric propulsion. Volkswagen intends to retool the Chattanooga assembly plant for EV production next year, and come 2022, the ID.4 will be built in the U.S.
Previewed at the beginning of September, the Taos takes its namee from a town in New Mexico. Why did Volkswagen choose it, though? For starters, it starts with a T like every other utility vehicle that Wolfsburg manufactures, ranging from the T-Cross to the Touareg. And secondly, Taos is “a small city that offers big things.”
Hein Schafer, senior vice president for Product Marketing and Strategy, claims that the town of Taos “was a perfect fit” for a compact crossover that promises “great value, excellent fuel economy, and great packaging, as well as advanced infotainment and driver-assistance features.” Scheduled to be revealed next month, the newcomer appears to be heavily based on the Tharu, also known as the Tarek.
Designed on MQB A1 underpinnings shared with the SEAT Ateca and Skoda Karoq, the Taos will indirectly replace the Beetle if you can believe it. As a matter of fact, the Puebla assembly plant where the cutesy bug was made until 2019 is going to be the stomping ground of the all-new crossover with a compact footprint.
As for engine and transmission choices, it’s not hard to guess what Volkswagen has in the pipeline. The 2.0-liter TSI with 184 horsepower and eight-speed automatic of the Tiguan are the most obvious culprits, a pairing that should be more than adequate for a vehicle of this size.
There’s no word on hybrid or PHEV options, though, but the soon-to-be-revealed ID.4 will level up to all-electric propulsion. Volkswagen intends to retool the Chattanooga assembly plant for EV production next year, and come 2022, the ID.4 will be built in the U.S.
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