We’ve been granted an early peek at Volkswagen’s long-anticipated full-size crossover that was teased by the CrossBlue Concept back in 2013 and which is believed to be called the Teramont.
Captured completely undisguised in China by Auto Sina, the production version of VW’s three-row crossover is almost identical to the Crossblue study that made its debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, with only subtle exterior differences, such as revised lights and front bumper styling. Not much has changed inside either, with the production car retaining the same design sans the flashy trimmings.
While it’s highly likely that what we’re looking at here is the Chinese domestic market model, few, if any, visible changes are expected to be made to the North American version that is expected to be introduced either in Los Angeles later this fall or in January 2017 in Detroit, with sales to start in the second quarter of next year.
The Teramonto, or whatever else VW decides to name it, will ride on the group’s MQB platform sharing a similar footprint to the concept at 196.3 inches (4,986mm) long, 79.3 inches (2,014mm) wide, and 68.2 inches (1,732mm) tall, making it bigger all around than the current Touareg, and roughly the same size as Ford’s Explorer, which will be one of its main competitors along with other similar proposals like the Honda Pilot.
Even though the Crossblue study came with a high-tech diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, VW is believed to keep things simple at launch, initially offering 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline and diesel units, together with a gasoline-powered V6 for top-end models.
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