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Volkswagen confirms Tiguan XL for Australia

Volkswagen Australia has confirmed it will bring the seven-seat Tiguan SUV to market in 2018.

Seven-seat Tiguan adds another piece to VW's SUV chessboard when it arrives in 2018.

Volkswagen Australia has confirmed it will bring the seven-seat Tiguan SUV to market in 2018.

To be called the XL, it will be physically longer than the just-launched Tiguan five-seater and will likely mirror the smaller car's spec range.

VW Australia's general manager of marketing Ben Wilks told CarsGuide.com.au that the XL would be a "game changer" for the company, which has lacked key models in the SUV arena as sales continue to skyrocket.

"I think we talked about the Tiguan being a game changer, but the XL gives us a good opportunity to be across what we would call the A segment and the B segment," Wilks said. "It may be that people are not looking for an even larger size again, they may just need the opportunity to use the seven seats occasionally."

Wilks alluded to additional models on the cards for the company on either side of the Tiguan.

He suggested that the XL would mirror the standard Tiguan model list, and that high spec petrol and diesel variants would be the first cars to launch in early 2018, but could not confirm that a base model front-wheel-drive would be amongst the early arrivals.

As well, Wilks alluded to additional models on the cards for the company on either side of the Tiguan.

"I think in terms of Tiguan, its size has obviously substantially changed and now the long wheelbase as well above that, that gives us an opportunity definitely below Tiguan," he said.

"There's definitely a slot below Tiguan where we can fit a few things that are quite uniquely Volkswagen product. It's obviously a booming segment in terms of small SUV and there's a couple of great ideas we've got coming."

Wilks suggested that the smaller cars would be sized more similarly to the Golf, rather than a sub-compact crossover based on the Polo. Two concepts, the T-Roc from 2014 and the T-Cross Breeze from the 2016 Geneva motor show, have been mooted as the start points for the two.

Wilks also alluded to another SUV that the company is targeting, based on the large seven-seat Crossblue.

While the two will be similarly sized, one will be pitched as a coupe style crossover, while the other will be more traditional in shape.

Wilks also alluded to another SUV that the company is targeting, based on the large seven-seat Crossblue, which is currently only destined for left-hand-drive markets like the US.

"We're trying hard to try and get a right hand drive program and we have to balance that with other right hand drive markets, so Japan, South Africa, the UK," said Wilks. "We'll certainly all be in that fight. It's a valuable car for us, we'd like to definitely like to have the opportunity to have that car."

He also suggested the next-generation Touareg would remain "the leading light" of the brand in terms of a premium SUV product.

Would you consider a seven-seat Tiguan? Tell us what you think in the comments below.