While Volkswagen’s new CEO Matthias Müller is recovering from the wide-reaching diesel emissions scandal, plans are already underway to return the brand to profitability as soon as possible. An SUV boom is central to that, and our spies have caught one new model during testing.
As some of the VW-Group's more ambitious and less profit-driven investments are cut back post-scandal, money will instead be put into the current sector with the biggest growth: SUVs. An extended-wheelbase, seven-seat 2016 Tiguan is central to that, as it will appeal to the Chinese market.
Don't be fooled by the old Passat bodyshell on this prototype test mule - look a little closer and you'll see the wheelarches have swollen to accomodate the wider track. Look under the back and you can see a pumped-up rear axle likely accomodating a four-wheel drive system.
Given this Passat estate is significantly longer than the next-generation Tiguan, it's the perfect base to test a seven-seat version of the car. Our exclusive image also shows how it could look, with predictions of around 60mm added to the wheelbase of the Nissan Qashqai rival.
Expect Land Rover Discovery Sport levels of space, with the third row of chairs designed more for children than adults. The rest of the car will remain much the same as the next-gen Tiguan, with a GTE plug-in hybrid variant likely due to Chinese demand.
It's almost certain to head to China first, likely towards the end of 2017, but it's unclear yet whether demand will be strong enough in Europe for VW to consider offering it here. Also on the drawing boards is a coupe-SUV model to capture the design-led market, and a smaller Golf SUV.
Would you be interested in a seven-seater VW Tiguan? Let us know below...