Volkswagen Taigun To Launch Before Diwali This Year

Volkswagen Taigun Compact SUV 3

Volkswagen India has high hopes from the Taigun, and the manufacturer expects this upcoming SUV to be its volume grosser in India

Volkswagen is currently developing a new SUV for the Indian market. Christened ‘Taigun’, this upcoming SUV is scheduled to launch before Diwali season this year. Diwali is considered to be the most auspicious time in India, and sales of vehicles usually see a massive boost around that time. As such, many carmakers align their important launches with the festival.

Last year, Volkswagen had launched two new vehicles in India, T-Roc and Tiguan Allspace, both of which were CBU imports. With the popularity of SUVs steadily increasing in the Indian market, it isn’t surprising to see VW focus solely on SUVs. The Taigun, however, will be a locally manufactured vehicle, built on the India-specific ‘MQB A0 IN’ platform.

VW’s sister company Skoda will also introduce a new made-in-India SUV soon, named ‘Kushaq’, which will be built on the same platform as the upcoming Taigun. The global debut of Skoda Kushaq is slated to happen next month (March 2021), and it is expected to be launched in India in the second quarter of 2021.

Volkswagen Taigun SUV Unveiled 1

VW Taigun will likely get the same engine and transmission options as the Skoda Kushaq. The manufacturer, however, is not aiming for high sales volumes in the Indian market, rather it will focus on sustainable sales volume with good profit margins. The manufacturer has achieved 83-92 per cent localisation with the Taigun, and is aiming for 95 per cent localisation. Road testing of the Tiguan has also begun, and a test model was spied recently.

Ashish Gupta, Brand Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, was quoted saying: “In a market where the top-two players alone control almost three-fourths of the market, too much focus on volume does not make sense. Therefore, we are not looking at volume but sustainable existence, with profitability.

Volkswagen Taigun spy picture 3

He also stated that Volkswagen is planning to launch another model in our market, although it’s not sure if this will be the Arteon. VW Arteon is definitely in consideration for India, although it is not sure if the sedan will launch this year or next year.

Volkswagen currently has 145 touchpoints in India, out of which 103 are dealerships and the rest are service centres only. The company is planning to add 15 more touchpoints this year. These new additions will mostly be new service centres, and the manufacturer will be focussing more on small towns.