Volkswagen plots Renault Captur rival for 2018 launch

A new small Volkswagen SUV will be launched by the end of 2018.

The new model will sit on the Volkswagen Polo platform and take its inspiration from the T-Cross Breeze first revealed at the Geneva motor show last March.

Unlike the open-topped VW concept, though, the 4133mm-long production version of the T-Cross Breeze receives a fixed roof and a five-door layout. 

This will put it in direct competition with the Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur and Vauxhall Mokka.

VW’s new SUV will seat up to five adults and be built alongside the new Polo at the company’s Pamplona factory in Spain.

Engines for VW’s entry-level SUV will mirror those of the new Polo, with three-cylinder and four-cylinder petrol and diesel units ranging from 74bhp to more than 200bhp. 

Also under development at VW’s Braunschweig engineering headquarters in Germany is a new petrolelectric hybrid drivetrain that will be introduced to a number of models, including the production T-Cross Breeze. It will serve as an alternative to VW’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine.

Initially, the new mild hybrid will use a 15kW electric motor mounted within the front of a seven-speed dualclutch gearbox.

It will provide an electric range of around two miles and a performance-boosting function under acceleration.

At a later date, VW will double the output of the electric motor for an increase in zero-emissions range and greater performance.