One of the many models built and sold by Volkswagen in China is the Tayron, a compact crossover developed by the local FAW-VW joint venture. It has been around since 2018 and is also available with coupe-derived styling as the Tayron X. Both ride on the MQB platform and are available exclusively in the People's Republic. However, things could change for the next-generation model if we were to rely on a new report published by Autocar India.
The publication claims VW intends to turn the Tayron into a global model to replace the long-wheelbase Tiguan sold in some markets with the "L" and "Allspace" suffixes. It's going to slot above the next-gen Tiguan and below the facelifted Touareg while serving as VW's equivalent of the second-gen Skoda Kodiaq. Rumor has it production will take place in Germany beginning next year, with plans to sell the umpteenth SUV in Europe and India but possibly other regions as well.
2020 VW Tayron
Autocar India's report falls in line with an internal document obtained by Automotive News Europe in late 2020. It said the SUV would "orient itself on the Tayron currently produced in China" and would be built in Wolfsburg from 2024. The decision has apparently been taken to stop having to import the stretched Tiguan from the Puebla factory in Mexico.
It's unclear whether the bigger Tiguan will live to see a new generation in some markets, or the Tayron is going to replace it altogether. In hindsight, we should've seen this coming since VW CEO Thomas Schäfer surprisingly mentioned the Tayron in a European context during an interview with Automobilwoche at the beginning of the month. He said the Tayron is planned for a 2024 launch and will be among the last VW models in Europe powered by combustion engines.
