Volkswagen has been hinting a new entry-level crossover for America, which will in all likelihood be a revised version of the Tharu.
The compact crossover will be sold in North and South America and is tentatively known as the Tarek. Models built for North America will be made in Mexico, while South American variants will be built in Argentina.
Volkswagen announced the news during an event at their Pacheco plant which currently builds the Amarok and Suran. Autoblog Argentina attended and reports the crossover will go into production locally in 2021.
VW: cuáles serán las diferencias entre la Tharu china y la Tarek argentina https://t.co/wSIEWcNbHx
— Motor1.com Argentina (@Motor1argentina) May 17, 2019
The Tarek will ride on the MQB platform and Volkswagen’s Leonardo Ezcurra told the publication the crossover will slot between the T-Cross and Tiguan AllSpace. Ezcurra went on to say the model will compete locally with crossovers such as the Jeep Compass, Ford Kuga / Escape, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.
The executive went on to say the Argentinian model will be launched with a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that produces 148 hp (110 kW / 150 PS). It will be paired to a six-speed automatic transmission which sends power exclusively to the front wheels.
When asked about the possibility of an all-wheel drive variant, Ezcurra said it’s being considered. However, he reiterated the crossover would be launched with front-wheel drive.
While the Tarek will have a lot in common with the Chinese-spec Tharu, it won’t be identical. In particular, Ezcurra said customers can expect a more aggressive design and slight changes to the interior.
Segmentos diferentes, tamaños diferentes.
Comparación de proporciones entre el Proyecto Tarek y la discontinuada VW Suran.
Cómo se está adaptando la planta de VW Argentina en Pacheco, para producir su primera SUV.
Nota: https://t.co/lhIhkFADfj pic.twitter.com/Dv4YS8XlGk— Motor1.com Argentina (@Motor1argentina) May 16, 2019
In terms of size, the model will be 175.9 inches (4468 mm) long, 72.4 inches (1841 mm) wide and 63.9 inches (1624 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 105.6 inches (2681 mm). This would make the Tarek 9.2 inches (234 mm) shorter than the US-spec Tiguan and the wheelbase would be 4.3 inches (109 mm) smaller.
In remains unclear how much the US-spec model will have in common with the Argentinian variant, but we should learn more closer to launch.
H/T to Motor1
![](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/themes/carscoops/assets/images/icons/arrow.png"){kind=icon}