The Volkswagen T-Cross for emerging markets – an SUV that shares its underpinnings and more with the Taigun sold in India – has just been given a mid-cycle refresh. The T-Cross has been on sale in Brazil since April 2019, about a year more than the Taigun has been available in India; its facelift brings a few cosmetic changes outside and in, along with major feature updates. For Europe, the T-Cross has a slightly shorter version, which got a facelift a few months ago.
- T-Cross now has ADAS, panoramic sunroof, larger touchscreen
- Also gets minor exterior and interior updates
- Timing of Taigun facelift’s India launch unknown
Volkswagen T-Cross facelift: what’s new?
The biggest changes come to this SUV’s features list. Range-topping variants now get ADAS tech, which includes functions from autonomous braking and lane-keeping assist to blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. In addition, top-spec trims get a panoramic sunroof, an 8-way powered driver’s seat, a larger 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen – that can also access the climate control system – and soft-touch materials on the doors.
Exterior modifications are relatively minor. There are new front and rear bumpers, reprofiled LED headlights, new LED detailing in the tail-lights, and fresh 17-inch alloy wheels. Some of these changes were seen in the test mule that was spied on. The T-Cross facelift’s cabin features a tweaked dash design, which includes restyled AC vents, and different upholstery for the seats with the T-Cross logo. The 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engines from VW’s TSI family stay in the updated T-Cross.
Volkswagen T-Cross facelift: India relevance
Considering that the T-Cross and Taigun share the for-emerging markets MQB-A0 platform, the two SUVs have much in common. In fact, as the T-Cross launch preceded Taigun’s, the South American model gave us a good indication of what we could expect in India.
However, there’s no word from VW India on introducing a facelift for the Taigun anytime soon. The German brand is working on bringing the seven-seat Tayron here in 2025 and an affordable EV in 2026, and is scouting for a local partner to help reduce costs on its range of upcoming low-cost electric vehicles based on the MEB21G EV architecture. It is also evaluating the viability of reintroducing the GTI brand in the country.
Also see:
Volkswagen Virtus gets discount of up to Rs 1.40 lakh on MY2023 stock
Volkswagen Taigun GT Line, GT Plus Sport launched at Rs 14.08 lakh
Volkswagen Taigun prices slashed by up to Rs 1.1 lakh