VW T-CROSS. Volkswagen T-Cross will be launched in the Philippine market by the second quarter of 2021. T-Cross is the first subcompact sport utility vehicle that the German carmaker will bring to the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Volkswagen Philippines)
MANILA – German carmaker Volkswagen targets to launch up to four new vehicle models in the Philippines this year even amid the pandemic.
In a virtual media roundtable Friday, Volkswagen Philippines president Felipe Estrella said T-Cross will be the next model that the company will introduce in the local market by the second quarter of 2021.
Volkswagen recently launched the 2021 version of Santana, a subcompact sedan.
Estrella said T-Cross will be the first subcompact sport utility vehicle (SUV) that the German carmaker will introduce here.
T-Cross has 300,000 unit sales across the world in 2020, with sales rising by 45 percent compared to 2019, he added.
He said they have planned to bring in another new model in the Philippines in the third quarter while they are also working out the fourth introduction by the fourth quarter of this year.
Moreover, Estrella said Volkswagen also targets to bring in its electric vehicle (EV) models in the coming years.
Estrella said two initial EV models from Volkswagen’s ID family were already available in some markets.
In the next three years, the German car manufacturer targets to roll out six additional EVs, he added.
“Where the Philippines is in this timeline? We at the Volkswagen Philippines, share these aspirations. While we don’t have specific details yet, we will have it here sooner rather than later,” Estrella said.
Volkswagen aims to contribute to the Paris Climate Agreement by becoming a company with a net carbon-neutral balance by 2050. (PNA)
