Seven-Seat SUV In Volkswagen’s Future?

By Suzanne Kane

Suzanne Kane

Contributing Writer BIO

Suzanne Kane is an editor at High Gear Media focusing on covering the latest product and other auto-related information for Family Car Guide... More

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2,153 views Aug 23, 2011

Volkswagen Logo

Family buyers looking for an alternative seven-seat SUV to what’s currently in the market may have another choice in the near future if German automaker Volkswagen’s possible plans to get into the segment come to fruition.

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

Enlarge Photo

Why bother? The automaker already has the compact Tiguan and mid-size Touareg, but that’s not enough to give Volkswagen the push it needs to realize its goal of doubling U.S. sales to 800,000 by 2018.

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

Enlarge Photo

And the market for third-row seven-seat SUVs is hot right now.

Add to that the VW penchant for delivering highly fuel-efficient, good performing and safe vehicles with a certain amount of, shall we say, German panache, especially in its Audi brand, and it seems like a no-brainer decision.

But there’s no given success in the marketplace for any new entry, no matter which automaker comes out with it. In the final analysis, how well received a seven-seat SUV with a Volkswagen logo may be here could all come down to how much it costs and where it fits in VW’s lineup and compared to the competition.

For VW’s SUVs, that means the prospective new seven-seater would cost more than the Tiguan but less than the Touareg. As our sister publication TheCarConnection points out, the as-yet-to-be-named VW seven-seat SUV has to beat competition from the popular Ford Explorer (starting at $28,170) and Dodge Durango (starting at $29,195), if it is to make headway in the U.S. Translate that to mean sales volume.

Volkswagen of America’s CEO Jonathan Browning told the Detroit News in an interview that “The most important thing is to have the right vehicles, priced correctly."

While he was referring to VW’s long-term sales goal, the only way to get there is to bring new products to market that people want and will buy.

When and if VW makes the decision to go for the seven-seat SUV, we’ll be right on top of available details.

[Detroit News via TheCarConnection]

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