Volkswagen Tayron three-row SUV, India launch details, Skoda Kodiaq sibling

Volkswagen is readying an all-new three-row SUV to sit alongside the Skoda Kodiaq globally. This new SUV is likely to be called the Tayron and will be underpinned by the MQB-A2 platform that it will share with the next-gen Kodiaq. Essentially, the Tayron is meant to be a spiritual successor to the seven-seat Tiguan AllSpace, but unlike the latter, this three-row SUV will be majorly differentiated from the five-seater Tiguan.

Sources tell us the all-new Tayron is headed to India as well. While the Tiguan Allspace was offered in India in 2020 as a fully built import, the Tayron will be assembled from CKD kits in limited numbers.    

Volkswagen Tayron: what will it be?

Volkswagen already has an SUV by the name Tayron – a left-hand-drive, 5-seater model that’s sold exclusively in China. The China-spec model is about 4.6 metres long, however, the next-generation Tayron, which is understood to be a global model, will be larger, thereby allowing for an additional row of seats. The Tayron will be manufactured in Germany from where it will be exported to other markets as well.

Volkswagen has been planning a new, standalone 7-seater SUV for Europe to be positioned between the Tiguan and the Touareg SUVs. However, unlike the current Tiguan and its seven-seater derivative, the Tayron will have a completely unique styling to allow for a sharp differentiation between the two products. 

While sibling Kodiaq will see its new-gen model debut later this year, Tayron will enter production in Germany in 2024. An India launch of the Tayron could be on the cards by early 2025 as it takes some time to assemble the parts and components for CKD kits sent out for exports.

What else is on Volkswagen’s India line-up?

This is not the first time that VW India has relied on limited CBU or CKD models to keep the buzz around the brand alive while it focuses on new mass-market models. In the lead up to the India 2.0 products, Volkswagen had followed a similar strategy with the T-Roc and Tiguan AllSpace that were imported in limited numbers in 2020.

Also on the cards for India will be the all-electric ID4 that Volkswagen has been testing on our roads for a while now. It’s expected to go on sale later this year or by early 2024. Brand director Ashish Gupta had previously also hinted that the carmaker was evaluating importing the fifth-gen Polo GTI in limited numbers to cater to enthusiasts.

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