Volkswagen has announced that it hopes to launch its long-rumored seven-seater SUV at the Detroit Motor Show that will open its doors next January.
Developed primarily with the United States market in mind, the yet-unnamed SUV will be considerably bigger than the Touareg and it will retail for a little less. Â It will compete in the same arena as the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Chevrolet Traverse but it will wear a more rugged look to avoid being classified as a crossover.
Although designed to haul around a large family and all of its gear, the SUV will be able to hold its own off the beaten path.
"Off-road, the SUV will not be as strong as the Touareg but it will be more than good enough to compete... It's an SUV in the European way – in the Volkswagen way," said Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen's head of global design, at the Los Angeles Motor Show. Â
After greeting the show-going public in Detroit, Volkswagen's biggest SUV will go on sale in the United States before the middle of next year. Â Likely built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, it will arrive in dealerships as a 2014 model with a base price of about $35,000.
