Volkswagen has been focusing heavily on its future vehicle electrification drive but certain “core models” powered by conventional internal combustion engines are not going anywhere. The ID.4 is the first battery-electric VW sold in America but has it’ll take time to secure name recognition on par with the likes of the Tiguan. But does the Tiguan have a future? Will the current generation be the last?
The German automaker has just announced that it’ll not only turn itself into a “software-driven mobility provider,” but it intends to keep ICE models and nameplates like the Tiguan around for at least another generation.
“We will still need combustion engines for a while, but they should be as efficient as possible, which is why the next generation of our core products – all of which are world models – will also be fitted with the latest generation of plug-in hybrid technology, with an electric range of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles),” said VW CEO Ralf Brandstatter.
Those specific core models are as follows: Tiguan, Golf, Passat, Tayron, and T-Roc. The Tayron and T-Roc are sold overseas-only, as is the latest generation Golf, though the GTI and Golf R hot hatchbacks are still available. Successors for both are now guaranteed. As for the Passat, Brandstatter did not specify whether the US-spec version, which is completely different from the global model, is on the chopping block or not. Chances are it’s a goner. What’s notably absent on this list is the Arteon.
There were some past rumors a second-generation Arteon won’t happen and it appears that’s proving to be true. Aside from the ID.4, the high-performance ID.4 GTX with standard all-wheel drive will debut sometime in the first half of this year.
Brandstatter failed to mention any possibility of the recently rendered ID.3 convertible coming to the US. No matter where it may or may not be sold, it’ll definitely be a niche model. Still, the discontinuation of the Beetle convertible means there’s an opening for a topless VW. The long-term future of other current VW US models, specifically the Atlas and Jetta, remains unknown.
