More SUVs are coming, says Volkswagen PH president

Volkswagen Philippines have yet to debut their next model. What's certain is that they will be SUVs, and the names will start with the letter 'T' according to its president Felipe Estrella III.

With a massive model revamp initiated last year, Volkswagen offerings in the Philippines have so far been models that come from China. The reason being is the favorable ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement which brings down import tariffs for vehicles imported from China down to 5%.

Through its Ayala-led distribution company Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. (ACEI), the company offers the Santana, Santana GTS, Lavida, Lamando, and Tiguan LWB. All cars are manufactured in Volkswagen facilities in China, which offer the exact same build and quality as any Volkswagen plant in the world.

With its SUV offensive led by 5 models shown at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, we can’t help but wonder which of these they’ll be bringing to the Philippines next. We’ve so far discounted the Tiguan PHEV as Estrella shared that they won’t be an early adopter of plug-in hybrid technology due to the lack of charging infrastructure in the country.

The new Touareg and Teramont are likely candidates, although, the slight disadvantage of a China-sourced full-size SUV is the fact that it will be a gas-powered model as opposed to diesel-powered, which is more popular in the Philippines. We're betting that they'll bring in the Teramont in 7-seater form.

Other models are the recently debuted T-Cross, Tayron, Tharu, and T-Roc; all of which are compact crossover SUVs. The T-Cross goes right into the competitive market comprising the EcoSport, HR-V, Juke, and Kona; we'll place our bet on this model as well.

Which models do you think Volkswagen would (or should) bring to the Philippines next?

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