Philippine auto market to be bolstered by two new VW SUVs

MANILA: SUV and crossover love in the Philippines is on the rise. So much so that the automakers are filling their product lineups with numerous SUVs and crossovers. At the ongoing Auto Shanghai 2019, Chevrolet has already come up with two new crossovers, and boy do they look something! Hold on,

Volkswagen, the German manufacturer isn’t too far behind and has kicked-in too. Now you’d be guessing what’s there for us in Volkswagen showing its new crossovers at Auto Shanghai 2019? To be honest, there’s a lot.

We may soon have more Volkswagen SUVs in the country. Volkswagen in the Philippines is managed by Ayala, the same organisation that takes care of Kia’s operation in the country. Recent Kia events that have transpired only indicate towards some interesting times ahead for Volkswagen too.

Another fact that strengthens the speculations is that Volkswagen Philippines President, Felipe Estrella III was also present at the German automaker’s booth at the grand automobile event in China.

When asked if the Philippine masses would be getting a taste of the SUVs and crossovers available in China, the president did leave some hints. And the hint is just like what Ayala presented to us before the launch of Kia cars. The first letter in the name of the upcoming SUVs is “T”.

Interestingly, as many as 5 Volkswagen crossovers in the Chinese market have their name starting with T. Well played Felipe Estrella III, well played. To familiarise you, the five crossovers are T-Roc, Tharu, T-Cross, Taron, and Teramont / Teramont X.

However, as Ayala has its ties only with SAIC Volkswagen, hence, only Tharu, T-Cross, and Teramont/Teramont X stand a chance of landing on the Filipino shores as the other two vehicles are manufactured by the First Automobile Group (FAW), which doesn't have any connections with Ayala. According to reports and speculations,

the Volkswagen T-Cross could be the first of the two SUVs to enter the Philippines. Talking about some specifications of the T-Cross, the SUV in China gets two engine options, a 1.5-litre MPI and a 1.4-litre four-pot turbocharged. The T-Cross in Europe, however, features a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-pot motor.

The most alluring aspect is the price of the T-Cross. One can get a basic Volkswagen T-Cross in China for RMB 127,900, which roughly translates to Php 987,634. If Volkswagen Philippines in some way or the other manages to price the T-Cross in the Philippine market at around Php 1 million, the car will certainly grab a lot of attention and attract a number of buyers. Bring it on Volkswagen, we await the new SUVs.

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