Volkswagen T-Cross facelift begins testing in Brazil

Volkswagen has begun testing the mid-life update for the T-Cross SUV, which is sold as the Taigun in the Indian market. While it was seen testing in Europe recently, these new spy shots from Brazil confirm that the emerging market version of the T-Cross, sold in markets like Brazil is also being readied for a facelift. The India launch of the refreshed Taigun could still be some time away as the SUV was launched as the T-Cross in Brazil almost a year before it went on sale in India.

• Taigun sold in India is based on T-Cross for emerging markets
• To get major design updates to aid fresh looks
• No change expected in powertrains

VW T-Cross facelift: what do the spy shots show?

While the test mule seen in Brazil is heavily camouflaged at the front and back, there are quite a few design differences that are still visible. The grille gets a new design, with the VW logo placed slightly above on the grille that has multiple horizontal slats. The headlamp design seems to be tweaked as well, and while the shape looks slightly different, we are told that the upcoming T-Cross will come with Volkswagen’s latest IQ headlight technology – an intelligent system that includes lighting control with a camera and sensor to detect oncoming traffic. In fact, it is quite similar to sister brand Audi’s Matrix headlamp tech.

The front bumper will also see major design changes, some of which are evident from the spy shots, including a reworked front airdam and fog lamp inserts, which look similar to the more premium T-Roc SUV that was sold in India. At the back, the tail-lamps will see slight reprofiling and the bumper will get design tweaks as well, in order to keep things fresh overall. We expect similar set of changes to trickle down on the India-bound VW Taigun as well. On the inside, expect mild tweaks to the colour of the dashboard, upholstery and even on the VW Play infotainment system that's seen on the Taigun and Virtus sedan in India.

VW T-Cross facelift: expected feature, tech updates

As far as features and tech is concerned, expect VW to bring the T-Cross and Taigun in-line with its rivals or offer more, especially with bits like the aforementioned IQ headlamps. We also expect the updated SUV to get ADAS.

VW T-Cross facelift: powertrain and platform

The T-Cross SUV sold in Brazil comes with a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. In India, the Taigun gets a 1.0-litre and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. Both SUVs share similar underpinnings, which are essentially emerging market versions of the modular Volkswagen Group MQB A0 platform that's been further revised to suit region specific conditions.

VW T-Cross facelift: global debut, India launch

Sources tell us that the refreshed T-Cross could see a global debut later this year. It will be safe to expect the updated Taigun to hit Indian showrooms next year as the current model is only two years old in our market.

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