Volkswagen broke the production barrier of six million units with the Tiguan this spring. In 2019 alone, 910,926 units of the SUV were manufactured. This has made the Tiguan the best-selling car of the brand and the group.
The all-rounder is offered in around 80 percent of all countries around the world. In Europe it is the most successful SUV on the market. The Tiguan is one of the three most popular sport utility vehicles worldwide. Volkswagen produces the successful model in four time zones on three continents.
An average of one bestseller rolled off the assembly line every 35 seconds in one of the Tiguan factories last year. The fast cycle is a reflection of the rapid development of this series. The first generation of the SUV was presented in 2007 as a world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. The Tiguan was launched in the same year. Since then, there has been only one direction for the newcomer: uphill. As early as 2008, Volkswagen produced more than 150,000 units of the Tiguan, which is available with all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. In Germany, it immediately conquered the position of the most successful SUV. The new model was in demand worldwide right from the start. Volkswagen met exactly the needs that customers have of a modern compact SUV. In 2011, a major update made its debut with resounding success: the annual volume subsequently broke through the 500,000 mark for the first time.
The second Tiguan generation came onto the market in April 2016. What was new was that the SUV was now based on the Modular Transverse Toolkit (MQB). And this technical matrix changed everything. The steep template for an authentic and dynamic SUV design provided more dynamic proportions: thanks to the additional wheelbase, there was significantly more space inside. New assistance systems perfected active safety.
The 2017 series became even more important with the debut of a second Tiguan model – an XL version with a 110 mm longer wheelbase, up to seven seats and an individualized design.
The new body version significantly accelerated the success of the series again: 55 percent of all Tiguan currently leave the production lines with the long wheelbase. In America, Volkswagen only offers the second-generation Tiguan in the long version. On the European markets and in many other countries, the long-wheelbase model is known as the Tiguan Allspace.
The XL version offered in China is a successful model there as the Tiguan L. In October 2018, Volkswagen added a plug-in hybrid drive to the Chinese Tiguan L engine range.
The Tiguan is currently being built in four Volkswagen plants. Since they are spread over four time zones, the production of the all-rounder runs practically around the clock. The SUV with a normal wheelbase (NWB – Normal Wheel Base) for the markets in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania is being built at Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The Kaluga plant, 170 kilometers southwest of Moscow, produces the Tiguan NWB for the Russian market and for the neighboring Central Asian countries. In Shanghai, Volkswagen produces the Tiguan L with long wheelbase (LWB – Long Wheel Base), which is available in China. LWF versions the Tiguan for North and South America as well as for countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania are being produced in Puebla, Mexico.
Over two generations, the Tiguan has developed into one of the most successful sport utility vehicles in the world. During this time, it became one of the main product pillars for the brand and the group.
In 2020, Volkswagen will launch the next chapter in the Tiguan success story with a major technical and visual update. The highlights will include a new additional variant with plug-in hybrid drive (PHEV) for Europe. The countdown has already started.
