A few months ago, Volkswagen had announced an ambitious investment plan in Brazil with the purpose of launching 16 new models until 2028. In total there are about 3,000 million dollars in different plants in that country that will produce unprecedented vehicles, hybrids and 100% electric.
Of this total, some 550 million dollars will be allocated to the industrial complex of São José dos Pinhais, state of Paraná, where a unprecedented compact pickup which will compete with Ford Maverick, Fiat Toro and Chevrolet Montana, among others.
In that same factory, the new T-Cross recently began to be produced, which will arrive in our market soon and is the first of those 16 models scheduled to be launched until 2028.
Part of the investments will be used so that in 2025 the Virtusthe compact sedan that was renewed at the end of 2023 and is marketed in Argentina in several versions.
The São José dos Pinhais plant turned 25 years old. More than 3 million units have already been manufactured there, including the new T-Cross.
Currently, the Virtus is produced at the Anchieta factory, in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), where it will continue to be manufactured, even after the start of production in São José dos Pinhais, in 2025.
According to the local site Self-sportthe objective is to open space in the São Bernardo do Campo (SP) factory for the manufacture of the first model of the Tayron familya hybrid SUV (built on the MQB Hybrid platform), which would be launched from 2027 and will be the direct successor to the Tiguan Allspace.
The Tarok project becomes a reality
The compact pickup whose prototype (Tarok) had been presented at the São Paulo Motor Show in 2018 will see the light of day. After prolonged back and forth that included rumors about its possible production in Argentina (first) and the United States (later), the unprecedented truck will be manufactured in the complex in the state of Paraná, Brazil.
Originally, the prototype of the Tarok pickup was based on the platform of the Taos SUV, which is produced in Argentina. However, in mid-2022 the company confirmed that the General Pacheco plant would focus on the restyling of the Amarok (in addition to the production of the Taos SUV), which will be launched next month.
The compact pickup will be built on the same platform as the VW T-Cross.
In 2023, in an interview with the media Autoblog USAHein Scafer, vice president of product strategy and marketing, and the Argentine Pablo Di Si, current CEO of the automaker in North America, revealed that the brand was considering manufacturing a new pickup there, although electrified.
With the mystery revealed, the new compact pickup will be manufactured on the T-Cross platform, although it could have a longer wheelbase (about 15 centimeters).
According to the local press, the new truck could be equipped with the new engine 1.5 TSI Evo2an evolution of the current 1.4 TSI engine (also turbocharged), together with a dual-clutch automatic transmission with seven speeds.
The Tiguan replacement
Another model that will make up the list of 16 will be an SUV. It will be neither more nor less than the model that in a few years will replace the Tiguan AllSpace.
Although there was no official confirmation from the automaker, the site Self-sport He announced that it is Tayron project or Evo, made up of two medium-sized SUVs (one with seven seats, another with five seats with a coupe-style body).
Volkswagen Tiguan L Pro, the first model of the Tayron project debuted in China
The vehicles would use the MQB Evo platform, an evolution of the MQB-A base of the Taos, Tiguan and Vento models. The basis of the project will be the Tiguan L Pro model, recently shown at the Beijing Motor Show.
This vehicle offers dimensions very similar to those of the current Tiguan Allspace: 4.73 meters long, 1.85 m. wide, 1.68 m high and 2.79 meters wheelbase. Although it is believed that both the name and the design will change until its launch in 2027.
