2025 Volkswagen Tiguan: Petrol-only for Oz, PHEV dreams dropped

September: New Tiguan imagined – and we reckon it's spot-on

We were pretty close with our previous speculative artwork, thanks to the spy photos available at the time. Now, though, there's little left to wonder at.

September: New Tiguan will be a petrol-only affair

The incoming new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan will be a petrol-only proposition when it reaches Australia, the brand has confirmed.

Speaking with Wheels Media, Volkswagen Group Australia spokesperson Daniel DeGasperi confirmed that while the brand initially wanted the plug-in hybrid EV Tiguan, it is now mindful that the market's interest in electrification has quickly shifted towards pure EVs.

"We were very interested in PHEV, particularly in Golf and Tiguan, but the reality is the market shifts very quickly and no doubt the entire industry has observed the rapid increase in electric vehicle sales," he said.

"The timing of this was really such that all-new Tiguan and ID.4 will launch quite closely together – so the gap between internal-combustion engine and EV won't be as significant as it once was."

Mr DeGasperi said that while PHEVs have been important differentiators for its Cupra and Audi cousins, "doing an outstanding job with PHEV", Volkswagen's role as the volume brand is to focus on the types of cars most Australians want.

"Potentially, if we could get PHEV much earlier than the ID.4, it would make greater sense," he added – giving buyers an at-least partly electric medium SUV in the VW range.

He noted that with the new petrol-only Tiguan's late 2024 or early 2025 Australian debut landing closely to the launch timing for the all-electric ID.4, the one will "perfectly complement" the other.

"For Volkswagen, the focus has to be sheer volume," Mr DeGasperi said. "We are the volume brand of the group and, particularly when we're gifted with an all-new Tiguan and ID.4 in the same year, we really need to be laser-focused on what customers want and what will be the most compelling."

"PHEV definitely has a place, and it's a technology that will be introduced globally into both the all-new Tiguan and Passat," he said.

Clearly, Volkswagen's local arm sees this as an ideal 'choose your own adventure' offering for buyers on both sides of the electric fence.

But, for the fence sitters (please, dear reader, do not sit on an electric fence), is there no place for plug-in hybrids – if only to win the road-tripping buyers who can't overcome their range anxiety?

"The simple reality is that we're not seeing that in the Australian market – we're not seeing that in meaningful numbers for PHEV sales," he said.

"Particularly when you consider that ID.4 has a 500-kilometre-plus range, we think that (range anxiety) is quite a non-issue and that Australians are voting with their wallets to go straight to BEV."

Above: Cupra is doing "an outstanding job" with PHEV, VW feels

We checked in with Mitsubishi, which offers PHEV options in its Outlander and Eclipse Cross lines.

"To date, we have sold every car (Outlander PHEV) we can get our hands on," Mitsubishi PR boss Adam Davis said, noting that its record sales in the US and "consistent demand" in Japan, along with delivery delays, have made it difficult to meet demand here.

He confirmed that 12.9 per cent (673) of the Eclipse Cross's 5207 sales year-to-date went to PHEV, while the supply-constrained Outlander PHEV has made up 402 of the line's 14,748 YTD sales.

Back to Volkswagen, Mr DeGasperi reiterated that buyers seeking a combination of petrol performance and commute-friendly, shorter-range EV driving and hybrid-like fuel efficiency besides, "we have vehicles like the Cupra Formentor that can fulfill that, and Audi has just released the Q5 PHEV (Q5 55 TFSIe)".

Of course, you'd be unlikely to see a Volkswagen dealer franchise direct buyers to a Cupra or Audi showroom unless they also own that franchise...

They may not need to, however, with most Tiguan buyers already going for the more expensive variants – powerful 162TSI models and the hero Tiguan R – suggesting the cost of an ID.4 won't be much of a deterrent.

Above: The hero Tiguan R has proven compelling for Aussie SUV buyers

"I think when the [new Tiguan and ID.4] ranges come out, it will make sense. The buyers are already going for top-end Tiguans, and the step won't be huge to the ID.4," DeGasperi said.

"So in terms of volume, again, even the way the ID.4 will be priced, Volkswagen are fortunate that we have a customer base that is willing to vote with their wallets and buy the top end models. That's a huge vote of confidence in our product. Tiguan R, since its supply has been relatively unconstrained in the last six months or so, has soared in sales and deliveries.

"So we think that the the combination of turbo petrol and all electric, that will be the focus in the medium SUV segment for us next year," he added.