2019 Volkswagen T-Cross to carry ‘very sharp’ local price

Volkswagen Australia is eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new baby SUV next year, called T-Cross, which was teased in a design sketch earlier this week giving us a few clues about the small high-rider’s looks.

T-Cross will join existing Volkswagen SUVs Touareg, Tiguan and T-Roc, sitting below the latter in terms of size.

An official debut of the finished product is slated for between September and November this year, suggesting the Paris motor show is a likely venue. Until then, this design sketch hints at aggressively flared arches, a distinctive rear taillight treatment that stretches across the boot, robust plastic cladding on the lower part of the body, and a rear bumper with a stylised bash-plate design.

Pricing in this competitive segment is critical, and while a specific figured will have to wait until closer to its local launch, VW Australia has told WhichCar the new SUV will carry ‘very sharp’ pricing in Australia, suggesting the German marque will go after the current segment leaders on a cost vs features basis.

Rivals for the T-Cross will include the Nissan Juke, Mazda CX-3, Holden Trax, Peugeot 2008 and Ford EcoSport.

As it stands, the Mazda CX-3 is priced from $20,490 to $37,890, the Peugeot 2008 covers a narrower band from $25,490 to $31,500, while the Juke starts at $23,490, and stretches to $33,490.

“As is the case with all our Volkswagens, [T-Cross] will come with a whole bunch of technology and infotainment systems as standard,” said Volkswagen Australia spokesman Kurt McGuiness.

Volkswagen has previously stated that T-Cross will be just 4107mm long (58mm shorter than a Hyundai Kona), and offered in front-wheel-drive only.

“[T-Cross] is definitely of interest, and we would look to hopefully get it onto our shores in 2019,” he said.

“We have always said one of our biggest targets is to increase our SUV range, and our customer base is certainly calling for that.

“We have got Tiguan on the market, which had one of its strongest months ever in sales last month, and we have the Tiguan Allspace on market now.”

McGuiness refrained from making predictions on the potential sales success of T-Cross in Australia, but noted its placement in a growing and popular segment.

“We are seeing a real move toward SUVs, and that is not a surprise for anyone,” he explained.

“To put it plainly, SUVs are a big part of our strategy going forward and we would love to get any applicable SUV models that we can.”