Volkswagen to introduce CrossBlue

The German auto maker Volkswagen is the latest car maker to enter into the SUV arena. In early July 2014, it announced that it will make a seven passenger SUV. It will be built at its Chattanooga, Tennessee facility and will be based on the concept model. The first SUV is expected to hit the North American market in 2016. Volkswagen expects the CrossBlue to compete with Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer, Toyota 4Runner, Honda Pilot, and Toyota Highlander.

Volkswagen CrossBlue is a concept diesel hybrid-electric mid-size SUV that is considered superior to its Touareg. Even though the concept model has six seats, the production will provide a layout to seat seven passengers. It will be sold exclusively in the US and Canada. It is expected to replace the current Routan minivan which is experiencing slow sales.

With year over year vehicle sales slowing in the US for Volkswagen, the company expects to reach a market segment, larger families, with the new introduction. Including the new SUV, Volkswagen plans to sell more than 800,000 total vehicles by 2018 including all brands in the United States. That is roughly doubling the current total sales in the US, an ambitious goal for the car maker.