South America may soon receive a new Volkswagen SUV
dubbed the Tharu and based around the Skoda Karoq. According to Brazilian
publication Auto Papo, Volkswagen has registered the Tharu name with Brazil’s
National Institute of Industrial Property and intends on using it for a new
model.
No confirmation has been given as to what vehicle
this name will be applied to but it could very well be a local version of the
Karoq set to be assembled in Argentina and sold throughout the continent.
If this is the case, the VW Tharu can be expected to
make use of the German company’s 1.4-liter TSI engine with 150 hp currently
produced in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There’s a possibility that VW’s slightly larger
1.5-liter TSI might also be offered to customers with a variable geometry turbo
and cylinder deactivation. A simple six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission
will probably come standard across the range.
