Volkswagen PH Teases Arrival Of T-Cross Small SUV

Ayala’s AC Motors announced earlier this year that the multi-brand distributor will be launching six new vehicles this year, and one of these it seems would be the Volkswagen T-Cross small SUV. This is thanks to a teaser photo posted by the German automaker through its social media accounts.

While the social media post does not explicitly say it’s the T-Cross, the rear silhouette is definitely distinctive enough for us to tell that the model in question is Volkswagen’s smallest SUV offering yet.

The Volkswagen T-Cross was first revealed in late 2018 simultaneously in Amsterdam, Shanghai and Sao Paulo. The T-Cross is a global subcompact crossover SUV that uses the Polo hatchback’s MQB platform. As a result, despite being a taller crossover, the T-Cross does not have AWD in any market around the world.

Considering that most of Volkswagen Philippines’ current vehicle portfolio is sourced from the German automaker’s SAIC Volkswagen partnership in China, it wouldn’t be surprising if our T-Cross will also come from the same factory. It simply wouldn’t make economical sense to ship the T-Cross all the way from Spain or Brazil, which are the other factories currently producing Volkswagen’s smallest crossover.

Aimed at younger buyers, the Volkswagen T-Cross features a youthful exterior design. Compared to Volkswagen’s generally conservative design, the T-Cross features more distinct styling elements such as the bold front end, striking side character lines and a black panel that connects the two taillights.

The interior of the Volkswagen T-Cross is just as youthful as its exterior. Buyers can opt for color-matched interior panels to brighten up the ambience. If we check out SAIC Volkswagen’s website, we can see that the T-Cross we would be getting will likely be equipped with Volkswagen’s 10.3-inch Active Driving Display digital gauge cluster, 8-inch touch screen infotainment system, Beats audio system and even a panoramic sunroof.

In China, the Volkswagen T-Cross comes with either a base 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated gasoline engine or a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. The bigger non-turbo mill produces 113 hp while the smaller, turbocharged mill produces 148 hp. We can’t fully decipher the SAIC Volkswagen website, though based on our understanding, the turbocharged engine comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.