Volkswagen asks South Africans to choose a name for its new SUV: these are the four options

Volkswagen South Africa is planning to build a new entry-level SUV at its Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape from 2027.

Although the local division hasn’t officially unveiled the product, all the evidence is pointing to it being closely based on the new Volkswagen Tera, a product of Brazil.

VWSA CEO Martina Biene previously told the media that the product would be adapted for the African market and would also receive a unique name.

Now it’s time for South Africans to choose that name, with the company posting an online survey calling on members of the public to choose between four names: Tengo, Tavi, Tiva and Tion.

The fact that they all start with a ‘T’ is no surprise, of course, as this is the naming convention for all of Volkswagen's current SUVs. 

But the four options are not just random alphabet soup: VWSA has put a great deal of thought into the names and the meaning behind them:

Tengo: Signifies rich cultural significance in African languages and describes qualities like strength, resilience and purpose.

Tavi: A gender neutral word meaning good or beloved. In Latin, it also means eight.

Tiva: This word means nature in Hebrew and is also associated with vitality, life, and energy.

Tion: Signifies aesthetic appeal and evokes a sense of movement and change.

You can CLICK HERE to cast your vote, but be responsible with it. Volkswagen’s Polo was almost called the Bonito or the Mini Golf, as we touched on in our recent story on the Polo’s interesting history. For the record, most IOL team members voted for 'Tion' in our internal poll, although all four names received votes.

What to expect from the new SUV

VWSA has already completed the necessary upgrades to its Kariega plant, to build the new ‘AO SUV Entry’ model, as it is code-named.

Built on the MQB-AO platform, beneath the skin, it is closely related to the current Polo hatchback, albeit with unique interior and exterior styling and a taller stance.

The Brazilian version is offered with normally aspirated and turbocharged versions of its 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine. While the 1.0 TSI is practically a given for local introduction, it’s likely that South Africa’s entry-level models will use the current normally aspirated 1.4-litre MPI engine, which is locally produced.

In terms of pricing, the new model will slot beneath the T-Cross, which currently starts at R399,900.

This new SUV’s success will be crucial to the future of the Kariega plant, as the current Polo, which is exported to major markets such as Europe in prolific volumes, is likely to be discontinued at the end of this decade.

Although the new SUV will be exported into Africa, it remains unclear whether the locally built model will be shipped beyond the continent.

IOL