Several days ago, Volkswagen posted a teaser for the upcoming T-Cross crossover. With its release just around the corner, a report from Autoindustriya says that the said model could be introduced with a starting price of Php 1.1 million.
With that price, it looks like Volkswagen is positioning it to compete against the Hyundai Kona, Ford EcoSport, MG ZS, among others. Do note though that the actual price of the T-Cross might be affected by the Department of Trade and Industry’s provisional safeguard tariff on imported vehicles. This is because the T-Cross, as the report says, is going to be sourced from China.
The Volkswagen T-Cross
The report added that the local market could get the T-Cross trim. To put things in perspective, there’s another T-Cross model available in China that’s dubbed the Tacqua. But if we compare the Tacqua to the teaser image it looks a bit too far off.
As for powertrains, there are two available options for the Chinese market model. There’s the 1.5-liter inline-4 that’s paired to a six-speed automatic. At the most, this option can make up to 113 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. In other markets, the 1.5-liter is available with a five or six-speed manual.
The other one is the 1.4-liter turbo. It is paired to a seven-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG), and can produce up to 148 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque.
For now, we aren’t sure which of the two powertrains we’re getting. We are hoping though that the stronger, 1.4-liter does make it to the Philippine market but that might be too much to ask.
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A rear quarter view of the T-Cross. Note the futuristic taillight design
Regardless of what engine it’s getting, Volkswagen Philippines’ introduction of the T-Cross signifies its intention to do battle within the highly contested crossover segment. Who knows, it might even become another market mover for the German marque.
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