Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Volkswagen confirms 7-seater and baby crossover coming

We've been hearing rumors and reports about a seven-passenger crossover or SUV from Volkswagen, dating back to 2008. Now it seems like the German automaker could be closer than ever to offering such a vehicle. This new utility vehicle has now been mentioned twice by two different VW representatives since the Paris Motor Show wrapped up; first by CEO Martin Winterkorn in the Automotive News and now by Peter Thul, head of brand and product communications for VW AG, in Bloomberg.

Both recent interviews indicate that this new model will be bigger than the Tiguan, and Thul's comments confirmed that it would be a three-row, seven-passenger model. Even more detail: Thul said the new model would be aimed solely at the American market as more of a minivan replacement than an off-roader, so it is likely this is going to be an entirely new model rather than a stretched version of the Touareg. The Straightline Blog indicates this crossover could be based off the US-spec Passat which matches up with Winterkorn's earlier comments mentioning the possibility that this new vehicle is the best candidate to be built at the Chattanooga assembly plant.

Another upcoming model that likely won't be headed to the US is a subcompact crossover that will be positioned below the compact Tiguan. We expect to learn more about these new crossovers over the next year, but both should really help VW attain its goal of topping General Motors and Toyota to become the number one automaker around the globe by 2018.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/18/v...ssover-coming/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Should be easy to make. They have a few SUV/CUV's they could stretch or even use a Q7 for a new 7-seater

LexFather

If its like the new Jetta and Passat they will look like 1990s Toyotas with awful interiors yet sell well lol

SC400slide

iTrader: (11)

Meh. All of the VW's look the same...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

most automakers do. "One sausage, different lengths"

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Volkswagen confirms three-row utility for Detroit, no Routan replacement in sight

At a small media roundtable session with journalists at the Los Angeles Auto Show today, Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen's head of global design, confirmed that VW's much-rumored three-row utility vehicle will be "most hopefully" revealed at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show.

The vehicle is expected to be at once larger and less expensive than the Touareg range, something more akin to a longer Tiguan (shown above) than an off-road juggernaut. That said, Bischoff was quite clear that VW considers the unnamed model to be an SUV, not a crossover. If you're envisioning a body-on-frame vehicle with a low-range, think again. When Bischoff was questioned about what constitutes an SUV versus a CUV, he pointed to design elements like the positioning of the A-pillar, not the hardware underneath. According to Bischoff, the three-row's off-road capability will be "not as strong as the Touareg, but more than good enough to compete... It's an SUV in the European way – in the Volkswagen way."

As far as an MPV for North America goes, Bischoff says that a replacement for the aging Routan minivan is "not on the to-do list," noting that VW will end its relationship with Chrysler, which manufacturers the Routan. Word of no future MPV would also appear to corroborate reports that the retro-minded Bulli concept van of 2011 also has no production future.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/28/v...no-routan-rep/