VW Taos Will Be Wolfsburg's Pocket Crossover, Due Next Year
About a month ahead its debut in the metal, Volkswagen has revealed the name of its new pocket crossover intended to be positioned below the Tiguan in its stateside lineup. The new model, teased just a few days ago in an image, is named after the famous New Mexico town.
"We are excited that Volkswagen has named their sport utility vehicle after the town of Taos," said Mayor Dan Barrone. "It’s a great opportunity for our community to share its rich history and culture alongside Volkswagen with its unique and rich history and culture."
The Taos is expected to receive Volkswagen's 2.0-liter TSI inline-four engine, but it could also get a smaller 1.4-liter as the base engine borrowed from the Golf. It remains to be seen whether the Taos lineup is varied enough to offer two engine choices, but buyers should still expect a choice of a front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive flavors.
The Taos, of course, is based on the Tharu, which has been in production in China since 2018 but will receive a thorough visual update front and back, gaining slimmer LED headlights and a Golf-like front fascia that shouldn't look too dissimilar from the upcoming ID.4 electric crossover as well. Speaking of the ID.4, the Taos should also land pretty close to the general size of the new EV, also smaller than the Tiguan. The Taos should be about 10 inches shorter in length than the Tiguan and a couple inches shorter in height. Like other small VW models, the Taos will use the MQB platform underpinning a variety of VW vehicles, including the larger Atlas Cross Sport that went on sale recently, also filling an important niche.
The Taos fills a long-neglected spot in Volkswagen's lineup, which for much of the previous decade been addressed only by the larger Tiguan. Needless to say, the Taos is a model Wolfsburg could have used about a decade ago to battle competitors like the Subaru Crosstrek, but the automaker was relatively slow to address the smaller end of the crossover spectrum, watching its competitors fight over the slices.
We'll know more details about the Taos next month, on Oct. 13 to be precise when VW reveals the design and details. The Taos goes on sale next year as a 2021 or 2022 model, and is expected to start in the low-$20,000 range.
