Volkswagen Goes to Taos for New Compact SUV

We recently wrote about the upcoming Volkswagen compact SUV that the company has been teasing ahead of an October debut.

Now we have a name, if not much else. Well, we do know at least one other thing – it will be unveiled (virtually, we presume) on October 13.

Oh, and one other thing – it will be built specifically for the North American market.

And yeah, the name is based on the town in New Mexico.

“We’re thrilled to announce the name for the newest member of the Volkswagen family,” said Hein Schafer, Senior Vice President for Product Marketing and Strategy, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “It was important to choose a name that really embodied the nature of the car and the town of Taos, New Mexico was a perfect fit. It’s a small city that offers big things—from outdoor adventure to arts and design and great cuisine.”

Without much else to talk about, the press release is mostly about Taos, painting it in a positive light, of course. Here’s what town leadership had to say: “We are excited that Volkswagen has named their sport utility vehicle after the town of Taos,” said Taos Mayor Dan Barrone. “It’s a great opportunity for our community to share its rich history and culture alongside Volkswagen with its unique and rich history and culture.”

Yeah, I’m just padding out the word count at this point, since VW is playing this close to the vest. We know the Taos will be smaller than the Tiguan, and it’s our guess that it’s likely to get the same four-cylinder from the Jetta with an eight-speed direct-shift gearbox automatic transmission and both front-wheel and all-wheel drive. That’s just speculation, though.

We’ll know if we’re right next month.

[Image: Volkswagen]