Volkswagen Oz has no plans for ‘Tayron’ trademark

VOLKSWAGEN has filed a trademark application with IP Australia for the ‘Tayron’ nameplate, possibly pointing to the eventual emergence of a new seven-seat SUV Down Under, although the brand’s local arm is denying any such plans.

According to a Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) spokesperson, the brand is simply securing the rights to the nameplate with no plans to offer the model locally, despite reports from overseas last year suggesting the model name could be attached to a new large SUV.

The Tayron nameplate is currently worn by an SUV made exclusively in and for the Chinese market as part of the joint venture between VW and FAW, occupying a similar space to the best-selling Tiguan.

Originally filed on November 4, 2020, the local trademark application aligns perfectly with the timing of speculative reports out of Europe mid-month, the most credible of which was published by Automotive News Europe on November 14 citing internal VW documents.

According to the report, the current Chinese-spec Tayron will serve as the basis for a new seven-seat SUV that will be produced at the brand’s Wolfsburg plant from 2024 and succeed the Tiguan Allspace as a bridge between the volume-selling Tiguan and higher-end Touareg.

“The main plant was awarded production of a large, seven-seat SUV that will run off Assembly Line 2,” Automotive News credited to an internal document detailing VW’s investment plans.

“The model will orient itself on the Tayron currently produced in China.”

While the regular Tiguan is produced primarily in Germany, the Allspace is imported into to Europe (and Australia) from Mexico.

Given the apparent production start is still at least three years off, it is far too early for any concrete details to have materialised. The current Tayron is powered by a pair of turbocharged – 1.4 and 2.0-litre – four-cylinder petrol engines.

An SUV based on the Tayron would subsequently open the doors for something western markets have not yet seen from VW; a coupe-style SUV.

The Chinese market already has several of these swoopy high-riders, but the Tayron’s European (and in theory Australian) arrival could yield a BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC Coupe competitor, not to mention an alternative to the Audi Q5 Sportback. 

Given the predicted seven-seat nature of the Euro-Tayron – or whatever it ends up being called – it seems more likely that a coupe version would revert to a two-row seating arrangement as per the Chinese model.

What is not likely, however, is a 2024 local arrival for the new model for two main reasons; Australian VW deliveries typically lag around 12 months behind the Euro launches – pointing to a 2025 arrival at least – and the fact VGA has shut down the theory altogether.

Still, VGA has been thorough in its securing of the nameplate, filing its application under classes 12 (vehicles), 28 (merchandise), 35 (retailing) and 37 (construction), although details were not added until June 17 of this year as part of a ‘representation update’.

If the trademark application is approved, VGA will have the rights to the Tayron nameplate until at least November 4, 2030.