Volkswagen To Launch CrossBlue In Europe
Volkswagen showcased the CrossBlue SUV concept earlier this week at the 2013 Los Angeles Motor Show. The vehicle was first shown at the Shanghai Auto Show in April and the German automaker had also displayed a 7-seat version of the SUV in January at the Detroit Motor Show. Volkswagen plans to launch the CrossBlue in Europe by 2016 but the company hasn’t come to a concrete decision yet. If launched in Europe, we can expect the German automaker to offer the CrossBlue in the Indian market as well.
The Volkswagen CrossBlue SUV is similar to the Touareg in size. It complements the Touareg in the same way the BMW X6 complements the X5. This car was initially meant for the US market and company officials from North America have stated that a final decision on the production of the CrossBlue will be taken by the end of the year. The 7-seat version of this SUV might make it to Uncle Sam’s country in 2016, since it is a very important market for Volkswagen where its sales are declining rapidly.
Volkswagen has an annual target of 8,00,000 sales in the USA by 2018, but the company’s sales fell by 4 percent to 3,43,000 units in an overall market which was up by 8 percent to 13 million units. The drop in sales can be attributed to increasing competition from the big three who have managed to keep their sales chart on fire with new offerings time and again. VW aims at producing the CrossBlue SUV either at a plant in Mexico or at a new assembly line in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
