Volkswagen readies electric ID Tiguan for potential 2026 launch

VW Group boss Oliver Blume hinted EV version of SUV would help retain brand heritage

Volkswagen Group chairman Oliver Blume has hinted that an electric version of the Volkswagen Tiguan could arrive in the future, as part of a push for the group’s brands to draw more closely on their heritage for future electrified models.

The Tiguan is Volkswagen’s best-selling SUV and one of its fully global models. Reports from Germany have also suggested the new electric version – likely to be branded the ID Tiguan – could arrive in 2026, and would be a similar size to the ICE model.

Set to receive a significant style overhaul next year, the standard Tiguan will be brought in line with the design language of the smaller Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Polo. It is expected the ID Tiguan will receive a similar design to its ICE counterpart. 

Speaking at the Volkswagen Group’s annual press conference, chairman Oliver Blume said that the heritage of its brands – which include Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen – was a key differentiator from new EV brands arriving on the market.

The Volkswagen brand initially launched its bespoke EV models under the new ID sub-brand but is now working to ensure some of its classic nameplates have a future in the electric era under new boss Thomas Schafer.

It is likely the model uses the revamped ‘MEB Plus’ platform. Maintaining styling similar to the current Tiguan would also help separate it from the ID 4.

Blume noted that the ID brand would continue in the future, noting that it has “started very successfully.”

Schafer has previously told Autocar that the Golf and GTI badges will be used on future electric models – with the forthcoming entry-level ID 2 tipped to take the ID Golf name.

“It has been a major advantage for the Volkswagen Group to have a great product portfolio and brand heritage, which sets us apart from many of those new automotive brands that are joining the market,” said Blume.

“Our brands have a long tradition and are very appealing. Customers buy brands, and they're made up of icons.

“It’s my expectation that our outstanding iconic products, such as the Golf, the GTI brand, the Tiguan, the Audi Quattro and the Porsche 911, can be transformed.”

“Take the 911, for example, we’re going to offer hybrid powertrains to move towards e-mobility. And if you take the Tiguan, I see huge opportunities to turn that product into an electric version.”

Other VW Group brands are also set to start using classic nameplates for new EVs, with Porsche set to release EV versions of the Macan and Cayenne in the coming years, and Audi using the Quattro branding for four-wheel-drive EV models.

The VW Group is also drawing on heritage by reviving the US Scout name for a new brand-producing ladder frame EV pick-ups for the US market.

Expected to launch in 2024, a prototype of the new Tiguan showed a completely new front end with sharper headlights, a much larger front grille and a redesigned front splitter. 

Indicators have also been added to the Tiguan’s wing mirrors, while the SUV retains its distinctive three-spoke chrome detailing at the nose.

The rear end, meanwhile, largely resembles the existing Tiguan, save for bulkier bodywork.

The prototype was largely camouflaged with a black, line-obscuring livery, but it’s clear to see the new Tiguan will feature a wheelbase larger than the current car but still smaller than the seven-seater Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. 

A visible exhaust muffler and rear quad exhaust decoys show that the Tiguan will retain internal-combustion power for this generation, before its inevitable switch to an electric powertrain. 

The 2024 model will likely retain the same powertrains as the current Tiguan, which is on sale with a selection of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains with up to 242bhp.

When contacted by Autocar, Volkswagen did not comment on the model's potential powertrains or whether it would be the final internal combustion Tiguan. A spokesperson for the firm did however confirm a potential launch date of 2024.

The model’s visual refresh comes after Volkswagen design chief Jozef Kaban claimed the firm would move towards a friendlier design direction, producing more vehicles that “smile”. 

The Volkswagen ID Buzz marked the beginning of the German car maker’s new design era in this respect. 

“We will be trying to do all cars with more emotion. It depends on the product, as not every car can have such a positive, friendly character, but one thing is clear: you will see more and more steps [towards more expressive Volkswagen design], and not just on EVs,” Kaban told Autocar last month.

Kaban went on to say that Volkswagen would avoid angry faces on the majority of its models, saying “aggressive fronts don’t work”.