Volkswagen is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2015, and they’re teasing a surprise concept SUV that will be debuting at the Geneva Auto Show.
The company’s current compact crossover, the Tiguan, is still selling well despite being an aging design. The second-generation will be out for the 2017 model year, so the new SUV to debut at Geneva might be a contender in the burgeoning subcompact crossover segment.
Although little detail was shared about the new car, VW said that it represents the beginning of a “broad SUV offensive.” The concept will be a glimpse into not only a new model series but of a future production model. VW says it’s “realistic perspective,” meaning that it will probably be close to, or possibly exactly like, a future production model.
According to VW, the interior will feature very few switches, implying a touch-heavy user interface, which they say will be similar to the BUDD-e concept that debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
The announcement of the surprise concept vehicle was bundled together with the new up!, a tiny city car complete with its own built-in punctuation that will most likely not make it to the United States. The up! looks to be a capable, fun-to-drive subcompact that would compete favorably with the much-improved 2016 Smart Fortwo. The up! has a new turbocharged three-cylinder engine that makes 90 horsepower (PS) and 118 lb-ft of torque, which would make for peppy performance and also nets more than 53 miles per gallon.
What do you think of the new VW concept? Does the world need yet another SUV? Also, would you buy an up! if it were for sale in the U.S.? Start the conversation in the comments below.
Check out this TFLcar video of the VW BUDD-e’s debut at CES:
