Photo: RMCar Design
The Volkswagen Crossblue (or whatever it will be called) is a strange vehicle. It was born out of a very clear need - that of satisfying the particular requirements of the North American market.
Volkswagen has two SUVs in its portfolio, which isn't that much by today's standards, but it is OK. Besides, it's got four-wheel-drive versions for its other models (Passat, Golf) plus the Alltrack range of more rugged vehicles, so you could say it has most niches covered. However, it appeared that the North Americans wanted something neither the Touareg, nor the Tiguan could offer.
The smaller of the two, the Tiguan, is a compact SUV (others prefer to call it a crossover) that offers plenty of interior space and decent off-road performances. The Touareg does all of the above, but better (and with the mandatory increase in price). Even so, none of them had the option of installing a third row of seats, and that's a big thing in a certain part of the world that made minivans famous.
Volkswagen appears to address that problem, but it won't do it by installing two more seats in the Touareg. Instead, it will build a completely new model (well, nothing is "completely" new these days) that will offer this option. Strangely enough, it will fit right between the other two existing SUVs, so despite offering more seating, it will actually be smaller than the Touareg.
Not much is known about the mid-sized SUV right now, except it will use a modified version of the new Tiguan's MQB platform (VW's modular architecture also underpinning the Golf and the new European Passat). Normally, this configuration shouldn't allow longitudinally mounted engines, so it should make Crossblue's engine list a rather interesting read. With the current state of VW's TDI engines, expect to find a hybrid powertrain among other gasoline units.
The exterior design presented in this rendering looks just about right to us, sporting the new angled styling of the Tiguan with the muscular wheel arches that we could see in the spy shots and the rest of VW's trademark details. It's not exactly the kind of vehicle that will get your heart pumping, but if it's a seven-seater VW you're after and you don't like minivans, it'll be the obvious (and only) choice.
The smaller of the two, the Tiguan, is a compact SUV (others prefer to call it a crossover) that offers plenty of interior space and decent off-road performances. The Touareg does all of the above, but better (and with the mandatory increase in price). Even so, none of them had the option of installing a third row of seats, and that's a big thing in a certain part of the world that made minivans famous.
Volkswagen appears to address that problem, but it won't do it by installing two more seats in the Touareg. Instead, it will build a completely new model (well, nothing is "completely" new these days) that will offer this option. Strangely enough, it will fit right between the other two existing SUVs, so despite offering more seating, it will actually be smaller than the Touareg.
Not much is known about the mid-sized SUV right now, except it will use a modified version of the new Tiguan's MQB platform (VW's modular architecture also underpinning the Golf and the new European Passat). Normally, this configuration shouldn't allow longitudinally mounted engines, so it should make Crossblue's engine list a rather interesting read. With the current state of VW's TDI engines, expect to find a hybrid powertrain among other gasoline units.
The exterior design presented in this rendering looks just about right to us, sporting the new angled styling of the Tiguan with the muscular wheel arches that we could see in the spy shots and the rest of VW's trademark details. It's not exactly the kind of vehicle that will get your heart pumping, but if it's a seven-seater VW you're after and you don't like minivans, it'll be the obvious (and only) choice.
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