Volkswagen compact SUV under works; to rival Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Venue

- To be based on the MQB A0-IN platform

- Will be positioned below the Volkswagen Taigun

- Likely to come with a 1.0-litre TSI petrol motor

With the Tiguan AllSpace already launched here, Volkswagen is set to introduce three new SUVs in India. While the other two products are the T-Roc (16 March) and the Taigun (mid 2021), the third offering for India was under wraps until now. That said, we can confirm that the fourth one will be a compact SUV. While a timeline isn't available, we can expect it to be launched after the Volkswagen Taigun, towards the end of 2021.

A top Volkswagen official revealed to CarWale that the upcoming SUV will be a mass market offering. While the official didn't confirm or deny the product's positioning, it is certain to sit under the Volkswagen Taigun mid-size SUV, which debuted at the Auto Expo 2020. This rival to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Hyundai Venue will be underpinned by Volkswagen's MQB A0-IN platform, which among other cars will also underpin the Skoda Vision IN based SUV and mid-size sedans for both the brands.

The design will be in-line with all the latest-gen Volkswagen cars and we can expect the interior quality to be a notch above the competition. Expect it to get a large touchscreen infotainment system with various connectivity options, while Volkswagen may also offer a digital instrument cluster in higher variants.

Under the hood, the upcoming Volkswagen compact SUV is likely to be powered by a 1.0-litre TSI three-cylinder petrol motor that is expected to be offered with both, manual as well as automatic transmissions. The same motor makes 108bhp and 175Nm of peak torque in the Volkswagen Polo and the Vento. Volkswagen is unlikely to offer a diesel powertrain in the compact SUV, although, a CNG option cannot be ruled out.

Besides the above-mentioned rivals, the compact SUV will also rival the upcoming Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300.

PS - Volkswagen Taigun Concept images used for representation only.