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KITZBUEHEL, Austria – When the ’12 Volkswagen Tiguan cross/utility vehicle goes on sale in the U.S. in September, it will offer more competitive pricing, an estimated 15% better fuel economy on the highway and slightly freshened sheet metal.
These improvements, coupled with the CUV’s taut handling and upscale interior should give the Tiguan a sales and market-share boost in the ultra-competitive Ward’s Middle CUV segment.
But after two days of driving in Austria and Germany on everything from the autobahn to remote mountain roads, it’s clear this slightly freshened Tiguan is not a game changer in the mold of its new Jetta and Passat siblings.
Overall, VW’s U.S. sales are up 20% year-to-date and 28% for the month of May. Deliveries of the new Jetta jumped 62% through May, and it is on pace for a record sales year.
A clever advertising campaign that features a frustrated child unable to crack open a Tiguan-shaped piñata See Youtube Video Here has raised awareness of the current ’11 model, rocketing sales 71% in May. But it’s unlikely the CUV will be able to maintain that level of momentum.
The Tiguan is too pricey, too small and too far off consumers’ radar to break out of its niche status and pose a serious threat to key competitors such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.
VW officials targeted 25,000 annual sales at Tiguan’s U.S. launch in 2008, but so far 2010 was its best year, logging 20,926 units. Honda delivered 77,074 CR-Vs through May, while VW sold 11,563 Tiguans during the same period, according to Ward’s data.
The real threat from the Tiguan likely will come a few years down the road. VW is rumored to be shifting Tiguan production from Wolfsburg, Germany, to its new plant in Chattanooga, TN. The auto maker reportedly is planning a new-generation vehicle along the lines of the redesigned Jetta and Passat: larger, less pricey and with wider appeal.
