Currently reading: Volkswagen readies electric ID Tiguan for potential 2026 launch
VW Group boss Oliver Blume hinted EV version of SUV would help retain brand heritage

An electric version of the Volkswagen Tiguan could arrive in the future, as part of a push for the Volkswagen Group’s brands to draw more closely on their heritage for future electrified models.

The Tiguan is Volkswagen’s best-selling SUV and one of its fully global models. Reports from Germany have also suggested the electric version – likely to be branded the ID Tiguan – could arrive in 2026 and be a similar size to the ICE model.

Set to receive a significant style overhaul this year, the Tiguan will be brought in line with the design language of the smaller Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Polo. It's expected the ID Tiguan will receive a similar design to its ICE counterpart. 

Speaking at the Volkswagen Group’s annual press conference, chairman Oliver Blume said that the heritage of its brands – which include Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen – was a key differentiator from new EV makers arriving on the market.

The Volkswagen brand initially launched its bespoke EVs under the new ID sub-brand but is now working to ensure some of its classic model names have a future in the electric era under new boss Thomas Schäfer.

2023 Volkswagen tiguan rear angle side

It's likely the ID Tiguan will use the revamped MEB Plus EV platform. Maintaining styling similar to the current Tiguan would also help separate it from the ID 4.

Blume noted that the ID sub-brand would continue in the future, noting that it has “started very successfully.”

Schäfer has previously told Autocar that the Golf and GTI badges will be used on future electric models, with the forthcoming entry-level 'ID 2' tipped to take the ID Golf name into production.

“It has been a major advantage for the Volkswagen Group to have a great product portfolio and brand heritage, which sets us apart from many of those new automotive brands that are joining the market,” said Blume.

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

Volkswagen’s compact SUV bulks up for a bigger slice of segment sales, but faces strong competition from the Volvo XC40 and Mazda CX-5

Back to top

“Our brands have a long tradition and are very appealing. Customers buy brands, and they're made up of icons.

2023 Volkswagen tiguan high angle

“It’s my expectation that our outstanding iconic products, such as the Golf, the GTI brand, the Tiguan, the Audi Quattro and the Porsche 911, can be transformed.”

“Take the 911, for example. We’re going to offer hybrid powertrains to move towards e-mobility. And if you take the Tiguan, I see huge opportunities to turn that product into an electric version.”

Other Group brands are also set to start using classic names for new EVs, with Porsche set to release electric versions of the Macan and Cayenne in the coming years and Audi using the Quattro branding for four-wheel-drive EVs.

The Group is also drawing on external heritage by reviving the Scout name for a new brand that will make ladder-frame electric off-roaders for the US market.

A prototype of the new Tiguan – expected to launch in 2024 – has shown a completely new front end with sharper headlights, a much larger front grille and a redesigned front splitter. 

Indicators have also been added to the wing mirrors, while the SUV retains its distinctive three-spoke chrome detailing at the nose.

Back to top

The rear end, meanwhile, largely resembles the existing Tiguan, save for bulkier bodywork.

2023 Volkswagen tiguan cliff shot

The prototype was largely camouflaged with a black, line-obscuring livery, but it’s clear to see the new Tiguan will feature a wheelbase larger than on the current car but still smaller than on the seven-seat Tiguan Allspace. 

A visible exhaust muffler and rear quad exhaust decoys show that the Tiguan will retain ICE power for this generation. It will likely retain the same powertrains as the current Tiguan: a selection of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains with up to 242bhp.

Join the debate

Comments
9
Add a comment…
catnip 14 March 2023

There's a lot of "could" and "likely" in this article, and as we've seen in recent weeks VW seems totally confused about which way it is going to go with its model range. Maybe Autocar could wait until it has some definite plans from the company before writing any more articles about them.

used_car_meme 14 March 2023

Yeah I'm wondering what's going to happen to their cars like the ID3, ID4 and ID5 they've been making so much noise about now that they're going to make electric versions of their existing models/give models the ID Tiguan/ID Golf monikers. Will the 3, 4 and 5 cease to exist? Surely it's cannibalism if they sell an ID3 alongside an EV only Golf.

Peter Cavellini 14 March 2023

Why just not concentrate on making them cheaper?, do we need all this tech in a car to help us drive the car?, would they sell more if they were cheaper as opposed to premium?

Citytiger 6 September 2022

Friendly, is that Autocar speak for uglier, and i hope they keep the obviously fake exhausts because they are also friendly...