Volkswagen Tayron

Volkswagen Tayron at a glance

The first Tayron (China, 2018)

Volkswagen previewed the first Tayron as the "Advanced Midsize SUV" at the premiere of the third Touareg in March 2018. The production car followed at the Chengdu motor show in September 2018 and went on sale in October. FAW-Volkswagen built it for the Chinese market with front-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG. According to Volkswagen, the name combines "tiger" and "iron".

The range later added an R-Line, a GTE plug-in hybrid and the Tayron X, a coupé-style version announced in April 2020. The Tayron X was previewed by an SUV coupé concept at Auto Shanghai 2019 and measures 4,640 mm. It sold best in 2021, with 12,733 cars.

Adding the published years from 2018 to 2025 gives at least 934,676 Tayrons, 42,039 Tayron X and 6,390 plug-in hybrids sold in China. No figure for 2022 is published, so the real totals are higher. The plug-in hybrid share stayed small: in 2024 it was under 1 percent of Tayron sales.

The European Tayron (2024)

The second Tayron was presented on 9 October 2024 and shown at the Paris motor show from 14 to 20 October. It replaces the Tiguan Allspace, the long Tiguan of the previous generation. It is the first Tayron sold outside China. In Europe it is Volkswagen's second-largest SUV after the Touareg. The platform is MQB evo, which it shares with the Tiguan, the Passat and the Škoda Kodiaq.

Production runs in Wolfsburg, on the line that had built the Seat Tarraco. Further plants in Mexico, China, India and Malaysia were listed by 2026. In China the car is sold as the Tayron L, and in North America a version of it is called Tiguan. The German market launch was on 7 March 2025.

Engines, eHybrid and towing

All versions use a DSG dual-clutch gearbox. The eHybrid has a 19.7 kWh net battery for more than 100 km of electric range. Volkswagen gives a total range of up to 850 km. Charging runs at 11 kW from a wallbox and 50 kW at a DC charger. The 142 kW diesel has 4MOTION as standard. As a seven-seater with 4MOTION it can tow up to 2,500 kg braked, on gradients of up to 12 percent.

The 1.5 eTSI is the only engine not shared with the third-generation Tiguan, according to Wikipedia DE. Our power converter turns these kW figures into PS or hp.

Space, equipment and safety

With five seats the boot holds up to 885 litres; the maximum is 2,090 litres. The third row is an option. Even the entry Life comes with adaptive cruise control, Front Assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Side Assist, Lane Assist and Park Assist Plus with a rear camera. Nine airbags, three-zone climate control and 17-inch alloys are standard. The central screen measures 32 cm. Travel Assist, DCC Pro adaptive dampers and IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights are options.

Euro NCAP tested a 2.0 TDI 4MOTION R-Line in 2025. Results: adult occupants 87 %, children 85 %, pedestrians and cyclists 83 %, safety assist 80 %. ANCAP's aligned test of the same year gave 87, 87, 83 and 85 percent.

Tayron or Teramont, Touareg and Kodiaq

The Tayron is not the largest Volkswagen SUV worldwide. Outside Europe that role goes to the Volkswagen Teramont, sold as the Atlas in North America. The Teramont has six or seven seats. The Volkswagen Touareg sits above the Tayron in Europe as the premium model. The Škoda Kodiaq is its closest technical relative.