When it comes to car sales, one cannot overstate
China’s importance on the global stage. Manufacturers go out of their way
to cater to Chinese customers’ tastes and VW makes no exception. Leaving aside
the ubiquitous long-wheelbase versions of existing models, the German company
has launched a number of China-exclusive models in recent years.
VW’s China strategy has shifted to
SUVs lately. We’ve already seen that the T-Cross has a distinct design for the
Chinese market, and now VW is launching new SUVs exclusively for the Asian
country.
The Tayron, built by FAW Volkswagen, is based
on the MQB platform and targets China’s “middle- to upper-class SUV market.”
Its name is a combination of the words “tiger” and “iron,” with VW claiming it
reflects the powerful design of the new SUV.
Size-wise, the Tiguan-derived model is almost 4.6
meters long, splitting the gap between the Tiguan and Tiguan L.
However, it will be positioned as a smaller alternative to the Touareg — not
just in terms of size but design as well. If you find it looks familiar, it’s
because it was previewed by the Advanced Mid-Size SUV Concept in March 2018.
