It’s the end of the road for the 7-seater Tiguan Allspace as Volkswagen rationalises its vehicle lineup. It will be replaced by the new-gen Tayron and here are some early images ahead of its official reveal in 2025.
The vehicle you see here is the brand-new Volkswagen Tayron and these images come from recent Chinese patent filings. It is important to note that this vehicle will be badged as the Tiguan L Pro for that market. The rest of the world gets the 7-seater Tayron and it will be manufactured globally for multiple markets.
Much like the new 3rd-generation Volkswagen Tiguan, the Tayron will be underpinned by the VW Group’s MQB-Evo platform. The patent fillings highlighted some dimensions too, with the Tayron being longer, wider and higher than the new 3rd-gen Tiguan by 197 mm, 17 mm and 43 mm respectively. The wheelbase is also 111 m longer than the standard Tiguan, which bodes well for both cabin space and a 7-seater configuration.
According to the UK-based publication Autocar, the 2nd-gen Volkswagen Tayron will ride on the latest version of the MQB platform and feature extensive mechanical updates to increase performance, comfort and refinement. The usual engine lineup of 4-cylinder turbo petrol and diesel motors are expected, but upgraded with mild-hybrid tech and 4Motion all-wheel drive will be available on certain derivatives.
Bye Allspace
Volkswagen is in the process of re-looking at its current lineup and evaluating profitability for the future. As part of its ACCELERATE FORWARD | Road to 6.5” global performance program which was announced in the middle of 2023, Volkswagen will be “streamlining and accelerating administrative processes, increasing efficiency in development and production, streamlining the model range, and at the same time reducing the number of equipment variants and further improving product quality.”
This quote comes from current Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, who used to be in charge of Volkswagen South Africa. There are a few vehicles in the crosshairs and one of which is the 7-seater Tiguan Allspace. While there’s nothing much wrong with the standard Tiguan 5-seater model, the 7-seater derivative never really took off in terms of sales, so it makes logical sense to bin it.
However, there’s an opportunity to bridge the gap between the current Volkswagen Tiguan midsize family SUV and the flagship Touareg. In the South African context, the current Tiguan range is priced from around R625 000 to R843 000 (excluding the niche R performance model) and the Touareg large luxury SUV starts from R1 365 000 (with a facelift due in the first half of 2024). We’re still yet to see pricing of the new 3rd-gen Tiguan, but that’s confirmed for our market at some point this year.
Meet the brand-new 3rd generation Volkswagen Tiguan
Is there space for a luxury smaller SUV priced from R950 000 to R1.2 million? We think so and so does Volkswagen who have confirmed that the gap will be plugged by the Volkswagen Tayron. “We will extend our existing SUV line-up on a global basis with the second-generation Tayron, which is already under development and will go on sale by the middle of the decade,” said Karl-Heinz Hell, head of engineering for Volkswagen’s mid-to-full-size models in a chat to Autocar.
Will the new Volkswagen Tayron come to South Africa?
Expect to see a global reveal of the Volkswagen Tayron by early 2025. Given the fact that the vehicle has been confirmed for some right-hand drive markets like the UK already, we expect to see this 7-seater offering make an appearance in South African showrooms.
In the meantime, the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace will remain on sale in South Africa, so if you feel the standard Tiguan doesn’t offer enough practicality, then consider reading our assessment of the vehicle.
