Volkswagen’s successful Tiguan compact SUV just entered its second generation, and according to the company’s head of development, Jochen Böhle, the Tiguan is set to spawn an entire lineup of compact SUVs. Speaking with Autocar, Böhle stated that progress on the Tiguan family was on schedule, confirming variants we had heard about previously including a long-wheelbase version with seven seats and a coupe similar to BMW’s X4 or Range Rover’s Evoque.
The company revealed the latest-generation Tiguan at last year’s Frankfurt auto show and the European version recently went into production. The revelation of a Tiguan family comes as no surprise with the massive growth of the crossover market, and the fact that the Tiguan’s MQB A2 platform allows Volkswagen to easily, cheaply, and infinitely configure the platform however the company likes.
“We have plans for a whole Tiguan family over the next two to three years,” stated Böhle at Volkswagen’s Winter Driving Event. While the debut schedule for these Tiguan variations is still somewhat tenuous, we’re likely to see the long-wheelbase version first. This three-row model is likely to be the only version of the Tiguan sold in the U.S. and will be built at both Volkswagen’s Chinese and Mexican plants
After the long-wheelbase model’s debut, Volkswagen will introduce the coupe variant, which could potentially then spawn a hotter R model of the compact SUV. Additionally, Volkswagen is said to be working on a hybrid version, similar to the Tiguan GTE Active Concept the company debuted only a few weeks ago.
Volkswagen has sold over two million Tiguans worldwide since the company introduced the compact SUV in 2007, and Volkswagen is looking to continue its success by expanding the lineup. What isn’t immediately clear is whether or not adding compact SUVs will be able to help the company out of the financial situation it’s under due to its diesel scandal.
