New Volkswagen Tayron seven-seater to replace Tiguan Allspace in Australia

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is set to diverge from its five-seat sibling to become the Tayron, due in 2025 with unique styling and available hybrid power.

Volkswagen is set to take its Tayron SUV global as a replacement for the seven-seat Tiguan Allspace family SUV.

Today’s first-generation Tayron is sold exclusively in China, as a larger twin to the five-seat Tiguan – and available in standard (Tayron) and coupe (Tayron X) body styles.

Confirming earlier reports, the second-generation Tayron is being engineered for sale in all of Volkswagen’s key markets – including Australia – as a successor to the Tiguan Allspace, Volkswagen has announced.

“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,” says Karl-Heinz Hell, head of engineering for Volkswagen’s mid-size to full-size models.

Until now, Volkswagen has occupied the market segment in which the Tayron will compete with a stretched, long-wheelbase version of the current Tiguan, sold under the Tiguan Allspace name.

With over seven million sales to date, the Tiguan has been Volkswagen’s best-selling model since its launch in 2007, outperforming traditional models such as the Golf and Passat in the process.

Scheduled for launch in 2025, the new Tayron is set to receive its own unique styling.

As with today’s Chinese-market model, it is planned to support two body styles, the more upright of which is earmarked for sale in Australia and other markets with what Mr Hell describes as an “extended rear overhang and the choice of either a standard five-seat or optional seven-seat interior”.

A more sporting variant of the new Volkswagen SUV featuring a coupe-style silhouette and liftback tailgate is also set to be sold in North America and China with a five-seat layout, though it is not planned for Australia.

With a length of 4589mm, width of 1860mm and height of 1660mm, the first-generation Tayron is bigger than the regular Tiguan, but smaller than the Tiguan Allspace. However the new Tiguan – and Tayron – are planned to grow.

“The increase in dimensions for the next Tiguan will also be reflected on the next Tayron,” Hell told Drive, adding, “We want to keep a similar differentiation in size between the two.”

It remains to be seen if the new Tayron is as large as the current Tiguan Allspace. The new Tiguan is only 32mm longer than its predecessor – but the current Tayron is a significant 112mm shorter than today’s Tiguan Allspace.

In Australia, the new model will be positioned beneath the recently-facelifted Touareg.

The basis for the new Tayron is a further-developed version of Volkswagen’s familiar MQB architecture that goes under the name MQB Evo.

Also planned to underpin the new third-generation Tiguan and ninth-generation Passat, the versatile structure has been upgraded to provide it with greater rigidity, and changes to the rear axle.

Further developments set to appear on the new model include a more advanced electric architecture, which Mr Hell says will allow Volkswagen to offer the new Tayron with more contemporary digital and driver-assistance systems than those of the first-generation model, which went on sale in 2018.

Other details remain under wraps. However, the new SUV may be sold in Australia with the choice of turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines – possibly with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology – and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard.

Volkswagen confirms its latest global model will also offer the choice of two petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrains in Europe, offering respective power outputs of 150kW and 200kW, together with an electric driving range of over 100km.

The new plug-in hybrid systems are based around Volkswagen’s turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

It is supported by a gearbox-mounted electric motor and a larger lithium-ion battery than the 10.4kWh unit used by the existing Tiguan eHybrid, which boasts a claimed WLTP electric driving range of 45km. DC fast-charging capability is also being touted for the Tayron PHEV models.

All Tayron engines and drivetrains are being engineered to comply with strict new Euro 7 emission standards, due to come into force in Europe in 2025 or 2026.

“We will have [Euro 7] compliance from the beginning with the new Tayron,” says Hell.

Depending on the engine, buyers will also be able to choose between front- or all-wheel-drive Tayron models.

Right-hand-drive Tayron production for the Australian market is planned to take place at Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant in Germany.

Left-hand-drive North American models, meanwhile, will be produced in Peubla, Mexico – where today’s Tiguan Allspace is built for Australia, the US and Europe – with Chinese models set to hail from a joint venture operated by VW and Chinese state-owned First Automobile Works (FAW) in Changchun.

While the new Volkswagen SUV is likely to use the Tayron name in Australia, Mr Hell says it is planned to be sold under the Tiguan name in other selected markets, including the US – just as today’s Tiguan Allspace is sold simply as the Tiguan in the US, where it is the only body style available.

The post New Volkswagen Tayron seven-seater to replace Tiguan Allspace in Australia appeared first on Drive.