2021 VW Nivus Debuts In South America As Brand’s Smallest Crossover Coupe

Volkswagen has unveiled its newest and smallest crossover coupe in the form of the Nivus.

Developed in Brazil for South America and for other international markets, including Europe, the Volkswagen Nivus is a subcompact crossover that shares the MQB underpinnings with the Polo hatchback and the Virtus sedan. The Nivus will be available in Brazil in the coming weeks, followed by Argentina later in the year and other South American markets in 2021.

Eventually, the VW Nivus will also be launched internationally, with a European version confirmed by Volkswagen for the second half of 2021. Looking like a Polo on stilts, the VW Nivus has a more rugged appearance thanks to the higher ground clearance and plastic body cladding. It’s also said to be one of the roomiest vehicles in the segment, boasting “an ample vehicle interior” with a luggage compartment capacity of 415 liters (14.6 cu ft).

That’s partly because the Nivus is longer than the T-Cross SUV, measuring 4,266 mm (167.9 in) bumper to bumper and 2,566 mm (101 in) between the axles. The width is similar at 1,757 mm (69.2 in) while the height is significantly lower at 1,493 mm (58.8 in).

Design highlights include the sloping roofline and coupe-like profile, SUV styling cues and sleek LED lights, united at the rear in similar fashion to the T-Cross. The sizable roof spoiler and exclusive 17-inch alloys also stand out.

Inside, the coupe crossover’s dashboard has VW Polo written all over it as the layout is almost identical. The dash is dominated by a big 10-inch touchscreen atop the center console which can be combined with the 10.25-inch Active Info Display digital instrument panel for a high-tech look and increased connectivity.

10-inch center touchscreen powered by Brazilian-developed VW Play

Back to the center screen, it’s powered by VW Play, a multimedia interface fully developed in Brazil. Unlike the Polo’s display, the unit in the Nivus does away with physical buttons. But the main advantages are said to reside in its connectivity features, services and streaming.

Those include access to the VW Play APPs, which is a virtual store exclusive for Volkswagen customers. They can launch applications directly through VW Play and download new ones using the available 10 GB of memory. There are many available apps for parking, audiobooks, insurance, music streaming, navigation, food delivery, and more.

VW Play is also compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with other features including a Cognitive Manual integrated into the vehicle and the ability to read virtually all media formats.

Powered by a 1.0L TSI three-cylinder petrol/ethanol engine with up to 126 HP

In South America, the VW Nivus is powered by a 1.0-liter TSI turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine rated at 116 PS (114 HP). Badged 200 TSI, the unit runs also on ethanol, in which case it makes 128 PS (126 HP) and 200 Nm (147 lb-ft) of torque. The engine is hooked to a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive; AWD is not offered.

On the safety front, the VW Nivus comes equipped with features like a Fatigue Detector, ESC (Electronic Stability Control), starting aid on ramps (HHC), KESSY and reversing camera. Adaptive Cruise Control and Autonomous Emergency Brake are also offered.

VW will build the Nivus for South America at its plant in Anchieta, São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. Details about the European-spec model will be announced at a later date.