What’s next for Volkswagen Philippines? (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of the article entitled “What’s next for Volkswagen Philippines?” For Part 1, click this link.

If you follow news about the Philippine automotive industry, you would be familiar with the fact that Volkswagen products sold here are made in China, by SAIC-Volkswagen to be exact. SAIC, which stands for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, is the largest automaker in China and is one of VW’s joint venture partners in the country. The other one is First Automobile Works or FAW. 

We scrolled the Volkswagen China website for an idea of models we might eventually see in the Philippines. The company’s Chinese lineup actually has a wide variety of models made by SAIC and FAW, and imported from other countries as well. We’ll focus on the models made by SAIC-VW as the current Philippine lineup is sourced from them. Just last year, Volkswagen Philippines announced that it will be launching two new SUVs both from SAIC. Mr. Felipe Estrella III, president of the local arm of the german brand, even gave a hint that they would both start with the Letter T. For starters, basically the entire SUV lineup of Volkswagen starts with the Letter T with the exception of the recently revealed Nivus. So for part 2 of this article, we’ll be focusing on what are the possible SUV models to be launched soon.

If you missed Part 1, click this link.

Teramont

The best possible match to the first model would be the seven-seater Teramont. The Teramont is not a China-only model. It is the same as the Atlas which is available in markets such as the United States. Why is it possible? The Philippines is a strong seven-seater SUV market so Volkswagen will definitely want to take a slice of that market.

There are no major differences between the Teramont and the Atlas when it comes to exterior and interior looks. There are some minor cosmetic changes which make the Teramont look a bit better. The main differences lie under the hood. The Teramont is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. There are two versions of this engine. The one on the 2WD version produces 184 hp and 320 Nm of torque while the one on the 4WD produces 217 hp and 350 Nm of torque. Both are paired to a 7-speed DSG.

Pricing in China starts at RMB 299,900 and goes up to RMB 359,900. That’s around Php 2,120,000 to Php 2,550,000.

T-Cross

The T-Cross is a subcompact crossover. This is the other likely new model to be launched by Volkswagen Philippines as they have never offered a model in this segment yet. VW also calls it an SUV version of the Polo subcompact hatchback but with very much different styling inside and out. The T-Cross is also a global model which means it will be available in most markets around the world. 

It wouldn’t be hard to miss the T-Cross thanks to its rugged styling. The body cladding makes the not boring exterior even more of a looker. Even the interior gets different colored accents depending on the exterior color, and the patterns are very quirky too. This is one youthful vehicle.

Powertrain options for the T-Cross includes a 1.5-liter multi-point injection gasoline engine with 111 hp and 145 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed DSG. Another option is a 1.4-liter turbocharged direct injection gasoline engine with 148 hp and 250 Nm of torque, paired to a 7-speed DSG. That is the same powertrain available on the local market Tiguan and the Chinese-market Tiguan L mentioned in Part 1.

If it were to launch here, it can compete with the likes of the Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, or even the also Chinese-made Geely Coolray. Pricing in China starts at RMB 127,900 or around Php 906,000, and goes up to RMB 159,900 or around Php 1,130,000. With such affordable pricing, it will surely be priced competitively if it is launched here.

Tharu

The last but not the least in our list is the Volkswagen Tharu. Compared to the Teramont and T-Cross, this may actually be less likely to be one of the two crossovers to be introduced by Volkswagen Philippines. The reason behind this is because it is quite similar with the Tiguan in terms of design, size, and powertrain.

It does still get the usual Volkswagen styling with simple lines. The front end looks like a mixture of the Tiguan and Teramont. The interior is also still familiar Volkswagen with similar styling with those of the T-Cross, Tiguan, and even other VW models on sale today. There is only one engine choice for the Tharu which is a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with 147 hp and 250 Nm of torque, paired to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. 

Pricing for the Tharu in China starts at RMB 165,800 or around Php 1,170,000. It tops out at RMB 188,800 or around Php 1,330,000. As to whether this could be one of Volkswagen Philippines’ future models, they’ll have to decide between launching this or continuing on with the next generation Tiguan. If they do decide to launch this, they will be going the same route with how the Polo was replaced by the Santana, the Jetta with the Lavida, and while not exactly in the same segment – the Passat with the Lamando.

While nothing is definite yet, we wouldn’t be surprised if those following Volkswagen Philippines would be waiting. The launch of new crossovers was already made known around March last year. The company said they would launch before 2020. Well with the current crisis caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, we wouldn’t be surprised if further delays on the launch would be seen. Perhaps the launch would have been during the cancelled 2020 Manila International Auto Show, originally scheduled for April 2 to 5, 2020. But who knows, it might come sooner or later. As for the other models, we hope. For all we know, someone from Volkswagen Philippines may be reading this.

For Part 1, click this link.

Images from Volkswagen and NetCarShow.com