After showcasing the well-received Cross Up! Concept, German automobile brand Volkswagen may proceed to design a compact SUV based on the Up! platform which could compete with other soon-to-be-released compact SUVs like the Ford EcoSport. The Cross Up! concept of Volkswagen is basically a jacked up version of the Volkswagen Up! hatchback, and comes with higher stance and body cladding, resembling an off roader. But a fresh new compact SUV, following the line of the Up! hatchback, will certainly carry a lot more engineering than the cosmetic models.
Keep in mind that compact SUVs form the latest rage in the world of automobiles and is one of the fastest growing segments in the automobile sector worldwide. Although in the past Volkswagen has made some noise about entering this segment soon, nothing solid turned up. The new compact SUV may be built on the modular design underpinning the Up! platform, making its development cost-effective for the car-maker.
At the moment, however, Volkswagen has denied that it has any plans to build a compact SUV based on the Up! platform. Now that yet another indication has emerged of an upcoming compact SUV from the Volkswagen stable, that day might not be far off Volkswagen finally reveals its plans.
This compact SUV will have great potential in European markets and many developing markets including India and China, since these models carry high demand in such markets. Most car makers offer fuel-efficient small cars and crossovers in the European market which are favoured widely across the continent, making the compact SUV based on the Up! platform an ideal car for European markets. Interestingly, Volkswagen already has concrete plans to develop a sub-Tiguan SUV, which may either be the same compact SUV in question or a completely different model.
As far as pricing is concerned, the Up! Based compact SUV may also be an entry-level SUV since Volkswagen’s Up! is already its most affordable entry level model. In fact, the starting price of the compact SUV is expected to be less than 20,000 Euros.
Besides Volkswagen, several other car-makers are planning to launch compact SUVs in the next two years, including Apart from Volkswagen, here is the growing list of compact SUVs that are expected to be produced in the next couple of years: Maruti Suzuki’s XA-Alpha Compact SUV, Hyundai’s Crossover, Ford’s EcoSport Crossover, General Motors’ compact SUV and the Peugeot 208 based crossover.