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VW Introduced A New Long Tiguan Based On The Atlas Crossover Platform.
By Marc Stern Jan 10 2017 - 11:58pm

Is Atlas-Clone Tiguan A Chance For Volkswagen To Maintain U.S. Control?


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The introduction of a longer Tiguan at the Detroit Auto Show has some wondering whether VW will ever make good on its promise to let the U.S. handle its own marketing.

At Torque News, we’ve asked this question before, and we’ll ask it again, right now: What in the name of Filo Q. Mindbender is Volkswagen doing? Okay, so we’ve dressed up the question a bit, but, nonetheless, it stands.

Last year, about this time, Volkswagen was in the process of a daily pillory as with each dawn there seemed to be a new nasty development in the emissions cheating scandal. By this time, though, we knew the essential outlines of the scandal. For instance, it was known that Martin Winterkorn, former chief exec, might have been informed of the scandal before it became public. We also knew that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had slapped a sales hold on any unsold turbodiesel vehicles that were still on dealer lots, creating a drag on dealer profits. We also had heard that 3.0-liter V-6 vehicles, not just the 2.0-liter four-cylinder mills, were included in the scandal. And, we knew that the cheating device was just a software routine that turned the pollution control system on and off so that the turbodiesels appeared to be passing emissions testing for nitrous oxide, a major and nasty part of diesel emissions. And, we knew that Michael Horn, the popular president of VW of the U.S., was likely to be on the chopping block and dealers weren’t happy.

VW Apologizes For Dieselgate

That’s not all. Volkswagen had launched its “We’re sorry! We didn’t mean it! We hope everyone, especially our customers will forgive us!” campaign. The automaker has asked for forgiveness from everyone, including the Federation, Kirk, Spock, Picard, Number One, Counselor Troy, the Romulans and the Klingons, and probably several hundred other entities that we’ve not even thought about.

Most importantly, though, the automaker apologized to its dealer body – already upset by the handling of Horn and sales holds -- and promised to do better. Atlas was part of that pledge. Indeed, Wolfsburg even said it had learned its lesson and that, instead of foisting marketing decisions on the U.S. division, that it would let North America have its head and create its marketing campaigns, even to the point of naming vehicles. Dealers were ecstatic.

Naming vehicles is, apparently, a source of pride and contention for Volkswagen. Throughout its history, Wolfsburg has carefully controlled the names of vehicles and vehicle lines. For instance, vehicles with names starting with G are hatchbacks, and have the name Golf, while compact crossovers start with the letter T or Tiguan.

For Volkswagen to have agreed to let the U.S. subsidiary name models is remarkable. At the time this decision was announced many skeptics didn't believe it would happen. For a bit, time seemed to have proven the skeptics wrong as Volkswagen seemed to proudly announce that, after holding marketing clinics where panels rated new-car names for their impact, VW had agreed to the name Atlas for a three-row, large crossover that was aimed specifically at the American market in 2018. It was also to be a U.S.-only vehicle.

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Comments

Jamie wrote on January 12, 2017 - 7:07am
I get that this is an opinion column, but the comparison between the Tiguan and Atlas is incorrect. While the Tiguan has 3 rows it does not compete with the Atlas. It's a compact vehicle with its optional 3rd row being for occasional kid duty. Think of the two has a Nissan Rogue (which also offers 3 rows) and a Nissan Pathfinder. This makes me doubt any other points in this column because the author doesn't even understand the basic differences between the models. Instead, using this false narrative that VWoA is being somehow undercut by The Volkswagen Group. Please understand what you're writing about before publishing articles that have no basis of fact.
Marc Stern wrote on January 12, 2017 - 12:55pm
I have to differ with you -- a third seat does not an argument make. Let's look at a couple of things. First of all, Wolfsburg admitted, when it turned over marketing chores for America to VWoA, that it really didn't know how to market to the U.S., let alone build a competitive model in the SUV space. With that said -- and understanding that fact -- it is not far-fetched to surmise that VW would likely believe that a 10-inch longer Tiguan would be a competitive SUV in the U.S. Further, it isn't far from reality to point out that the longer Tiguan was announced at NAIAS after VWoA announced the R-Line update for Atlas and that the announcement for Tiguan made a rather large deal about the third rear seat. Now, you are correct about the size of the long Tiguan. It is about the size of the Audi Q5 or Rogue but, by the same token, it is built using the same platform that is used for Atlas, down to the wheelbase. So, you have a long Tiguan, using the same wheelbase as found on the Atlas, offered with three rows. To Wolfsburg, it is the perfect-sized SUV for any market. You see, there is a certain myopia in Europe that says SUVs have to be a certain size, usually shorter and smaller than their U.S. counterparts. The size difference may only be inches, as in the case of the Audi Q7, but the smaller sizes used in Europe are generally looked upon as the proper sizes for SUVs and larger crossovers. You also argue that the long Tiguan, a vehicle with a 185.2-inch overall -- 15.4 feet -- is a compact. I submit that it is closer to full-sized than you think. After all, the Atlas is 16.5 feet long, about a foot longer than the long Tiguan. Again, the long Tiguan is Europe's idea of an SUV or crossover, for the most part. My argument points out that given VW's penchant for believing that if it isn't "invented here," as in Wolfsburg and nowhere else -- then it is not valid is a feeling the runs throughout the automaker. My references to the Dieselgate fiasco point this out graphically. Indeed, the emissions rigging scandal owed is piquancy to the "NIH" syndrome. Because the diesel wasn't going to use a "proper" VW solution, then it was unacceptable and had to be changed and made proper for the automaker. Given this argument, it is not hard to assume that Wolfsburg believes it can reassert itself as the marketing leader of the automaker, taking it back from Herndon because it is proper for VW. I could go on, but I will wrap this up with a statement that I do follow vehicles, especially VWs, Audis and related cars and crossovers, quite closely. And, given a very long career as an automotive writer who does keep up with vehicles and technology, I believe that your conclusion is wrong as I do "understand" what I am talking about when I write about a topic. My piece was my opinion and I will stand by my statements. You, of course, are entitled to your opinion, as well. As they say, that's what makes a car race.

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