Volkswagen, the German premium automaker had showcased the VW T-Cross Breeze concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Earlier this year, VW had confirmed that the T-Cross concept will enter into production and will go on sale in international markets in late 2018. Now, the company has started testing the production version of the SUV. If reports are to be believed, Volkswagen could also launch this compact SUV in the Indian market. However, nothing concrete has been revealed on the same. The VW officials recently indicated that Volkswagen is considering this SUV for the Indian market. In India, it will challenge the likes of Hyundai Creta and Renault Captur in the compact SUV segment.
The VW T-Cross Breeze concept was a 2-door convertible SUV; however, the production-ready model will be a conventional 5-door model and will get a fixed roof. The company will also launch the production-spec VW T-ROC – Golf based SUV – in early 2018. While the T-ROC has a sporty coupe-like profile, the smaller model will have a conventional SUV-like stance.
The Volkswagen T-Cross based SUV will be developed on VW Group’s MQB-A0 platform that also underpins the new generation Polo hatchback. It is expected that the production model will retain T-Cross nameplate and size of the concept car. Previous spy-shots reveal that the SUV will get full-width grille and wider wheel arches to offer distinctive and rugged profile. The company will also launch the R-Line version of the SUV, which will be equipped with 20-inch R-Line alloy wheels.
Volkswagen T-Cross Photo Gallery
Media reports suggest that the European model will only come with turbocharged engines, akin to the VW T-ROC. It is likely to be powered by a turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine with 110bhp of power against 175Nm of torque. Power will be transmitted to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. Other engine options could include a 1.5-litre TSI petrol and a 1.6-litre TDI diesel that also powers the sixth generation Polo. Few reports suggest that the compact SUV could get a new 1.4-litre TDI diesel engine instead of the 1.6L unit. The top-end model could also get Volkswagen’s 4MOTION AWD system, while the other models will come with FWD (Front-Wheel-Drive layout).
