The North American arm of VW will be solely responsible for naming the new crossover, set to debut in the USA next year.
A committee in Germany is normally responsible for finding a suitable global model name starting with a ‘T’ as is the Group’s naming policy for their crossovers (Tiguan, Touareg, etc).
Instead, the new crossover will have a “bullish, much easier to pronounce, American-style name”, picked by the North American team which will be unique to the market as Hinrich Woebcken, head of VW’s North America region told AutoNews.
Woebcken didn’t spill any further details about the name other than it won’t begin with a ‘T’. “Two or three years ago, it would’ve been a no-go that the region decides an individual name,” he said. “This is already an early sign that Wolfsburg is willing to let go.”
VW is planning to throw two crossovers in the US market next year: the aforementioned mid-sized one and the long-wheelbase seven-seater Tiguan we showed you a while ago. Together with the Golf Alltrack which is expected to arrive this fall, VW will seek a short-term boost in its sales as the company recovers from the famous emissions scandal.
“We want to build the brand story to a level that this brand is not seen as a niche player anymore,” Woebcken said. “It’s not a matter of surviving, it’s a matter of being relevant.”
Note: 2015 VW Cross Coupe GTE Concept pictured
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