• by Tanya Gazdik , December 10, 2024

Volkswagen of America is rolling out a new Taos, which it expects to continue to do well in the compact SUV segment. 

Since Taos launched in October 2020, Volkswagen of America has sold 210,000 of them in the United States, says Petar Danilovic, VW’s senior vice president of product marketing and strategy. 

Even though it is in a “runout” period at the end of the current product cycle, the “small but  mighty” vehicle continued to do well this year, with sales up 9% year-to-date, he says. 

“So in a very, very short period we were able to create a very strong nameplate, which is still creating awareness and sales performance,” Danilovic says. 

New Taos creative will be available for dealer use in the dealer marketing program, says Rachael Zaluzec, VW CMO and senior vice president, customer experience and brand marketing. Possible “upper funnel” brand work still under consideration.

The new Taos is a “facelift, and then some,” says Mike Stephens, product planner, VW product marketing.

He expects  target buyers for the revamped vehicle, which is now arriving in dealerships, to be similar to those who bought previously.

“So we see this as kind of a two-pronged approach,” Stephens says. “You have young buyers, maybe with one kid in a suburban setting, maybe young professionals, first-time SUV buyers. But we also see maybe an older demographic, maybe empty-nesters that don't necessarily need a third now and are maybe downsizing a little bit. They want a little bit of a smaller SUV and they are buying it for fuel economy, safety and great style.”

Taos, with an affordable starting price of $24,995, stands out from the competition with the “most comprehensive list of safety features in the segment,” he says. The new Taos also offers a huge panoramic sunroof, which is not common in the segment, an optional black roof, and optional ventilated front seats. 

Volkswagen sees the competitive set as Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross, Stephens says.