First units of Volkswagen Tharu arrive in PH ahead of September 29 launch

After some teasing on social media for its latest model, the Tharu, Volkswagen Philippines, under the distributorship of AC Motors, has announced that the first batch of units have officially arrived in the country.

The Volkswagen Tharu, known as the Taos in markets like North America, is a compact SUV that sits below the Tiguan which was previously offered here in the Philippines. With this new offering, Volkswagen Philippines probably hopes to redeem itself with what they say are next-level innovations.

Anyway, while not much information is available, Volkswagen Philippines has at least confirmed the variants and color choices. The Tharu will be available in two variants—SE and SEL. It will also come in four different colors which are Pure White, Mangan Gray, Petroleum Blue, and Polytech Blue. 

And looking at the photos, the two variants are quite identical except for a few differences like the wheel designs, and two-tone color scheme with a black roof and side mirrors on what we’re assuming is the SEL variant. The headlight clusters are also different between the two variants. We’ve also noticed that the SEL variant will get advanced driver-assist safety systems based on the presence of a camera on the upper portion of the windshield.

Also based on the photos, we can tell that both will have LED headlights, and an illuminated Volkswagen emblem on the rear together with wraparound LED taillights. It also appears that both will be getting a panoramic sunroof. 

We don’t know what exactly will be powering the Volkswagen Tharu once it launches but a safe bet, based on the visible 300TSI badging, it will get a 1.5-liter turbocharged Inline 4-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 160 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

That’s all we know for now, but with the launch happening in just a few weeks, we no longer have to wait too long.