Volkswagen has taken the wraps off the much-anticipated Tera small SUV, which will be built and sold in South Africa from 2027.
VW announced a year ago the new Polo-based crossover would be built at its Kariega plant near Gqeberha in a R4bn investment. The vehicle will slot under the imported T-Cross as VW’s smallest and most affordable SUV and will be built in the factory with the Polo and Polo Vivo.
On Sunday the new car had its global premiere in Brazil, where it will be called the Tera, but a different name will be chosen for South Africa.
Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) MD Martina Biene said though all VW’s existing SUVs and crossovers start with the letter “T” (including Tiguan, Taigo and Touareg), that would not necessarily be the case for the new car. VWGA has shortlisted four “African” names for the vehicle and will ask the public to vote for one in a soon-to-be-launched publicity campaign.
Technical details of the Tera have not yet been announced and only the exterior and interior design have been revealed.
In South Africa the car is likely to be powered by one or more of the three engines available in the Polo Vivo range, which comprise normally aspirated 1.4l and 1.6l petrol four-cylinder units and a turbocharged 1.0l three-cylinder.
The Tera has styling influenced by the VW Taigo with a thin honeycomb grille, but has unique features such as broken-off LED daytime running lights, a bumper with prominent air dams and diamond-cut 17" alloy wheels.
Its size is not confirmed but it should be smaller than the T-Cross which is 4,135mm long. It is too soon to speculate on pricing but it will be cheaper than the T-Cross which starts at R400,700.
Inside the Tera features a minimalist layout confirming to VW’s modern trend, with a large touchscreen infotainment system, steering wheel controls and digital instrument panel.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.