Volkswagen Tiguan To Be Launched In India In May 2017

The launch of the Ameo and the Polo GTI has renewed Volkswagen India's energy and it's all set to bring in some much-awaited products into the Indian market. The company had already announced its line-up for India this year and the first car of the lot to hit the market will be the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan SUV. VW will launch the car in India in May 2017 while bookings for the SUV will begin in April.

We'd already driven the car and had even told you that the company is testing the SUV on Indian roads. The Volkswagen Tiguan is based on the carmaker's popular MQB platform and it is 60mm longer and 30mm wider and sits 33mm lower than the older model. This is the first time the Tiguan brand will come to India. VW has had a tryst with an SUV in India before with the Touareg but that strategy hasn't panned out too well and so VW is taking aim at the likes of the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and even the Chevrolet Trailblazer. However, Skoda too will enter the ring soon with the Kodiaq which is based on the same platform as the Tiguan and will be just as or even more spacious.

Volkswagen Tiguan Has Grown in Dimension

The wheelbase of the new Tiguan has been increased by 77mm to 2681mm, which means there's more space on the inside. The new Volkswagen Tiguan has also shed some weight as it now weighs 50kg less than before.

The Volkswagen Tiguan will come powered by a 2.0 litre TDI diesel engine that is capable of churning 147bhp. The 1968cc turbocharged motor will come mated to the company's tried and tested 7-speed DSG automatic unit. What it will get is a tonne of features and these will include a 5-inch screen or a bigger 8-inch display (depending on the variant) along with support navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and many other services.

Volkswagen Tiguan Dashboard

The Volkswagen Tiguan will come to India as a completely built unit and this will make it pricey. VW is well aware that standing up to premium car makers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi will not be an option and taking on the likes of SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner or the Ford Endeavour will prove to be a task (considering it's smaller and sans an all-wheel drive), which is why the company is searching for a middle ground. The company will start assembling the car in India, by this year; and while it wants to up the percentage of local content, on the car, the focus would be on the development of the SUV, on the platform.