India-bound Volkswagen T-Cross Will Not Get A Hybrid Powertrain

• Volkswagen T-Cross is expected to launch in India in 2020 
• It바카라™s based on the soon-to-be-localised MQB A0 platform 
• Will rival Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, upcoming Kia SP-based SUV and second-gen Duster
• A hybrid version is not planned for the T-Cross globally

Volkswagen unveiled its smallest SUV, the T-Cross, in October 2018 simultaneously at Europe, South America and China. The VW T-Cross is based on the same MQB A0 platform as the Polo and Virtus (next-gen Vento). This platform will be localised in India by 2020 and the compact SUV is expected to be launched here by the end of that year. 

While the T-Cross is available with a range of petrol and diesel engine options in international markets, Volkswagen has reportedly stated that a hybrid or plug-in hybrid version is not on the cards yet. The carmaker believes that electrifying the T-Cross doesn바카라™t make any sense from a financial standpoint. It would make the compact SUV expensive to such an extent that it would be priced in the vicinity of VW바카라™s upcoming all-electric ID hatchback. The 2020 ID hatchback is based on a dedicated all-electric platform called the MEB and will offer a range of over 500km on a single charge. 

The T-Cross is expected to be priced between Rs 10 lakh - Rs 16 lakh in India and the 2020 ID is believed to cost less than €25,000 (~ Rs 20 lakh) in Europe. This means that a hybrid or plug-in hybrid version of the T-Cross will be priced too close to the ID, making it a less attractive buy. But that doesn바카라™t really mean that the A0 platform can바카라™t support hybridisation. VW Group바카라™s head in India, Gurpratap Boparai, has in the past confirmed to CarDekho that from an engineering standpoint, it is possible to offer a hybrid car on the MQB A0 platform. However, he added that the carmaker is not currently working on a T-Cross hybrid.

Most of the T-Cross바카라™ rivals use internal combustion engines as well. The India-spec T-Cross will be powered by a locally manufactured 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine. There바카라™s no clarity on whether it바카라™ll get a diesel heart in India as Volkswagen is rumoured to ditch its 1.5-litre TDI engine once BSVI emission norms are implemented in April 2020.

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