The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan, which debuts this week at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, will go on sale this fall in the U.S., with an eye to providing consumers with better fuel economy, said Volkswagen of America.
Pricing will be released later this year, the company said in a statement.
While the EPA has yet to rate the 2012 Tiguan, Volkswagen said the compact crossover will get a highway fuel-economy improvement of about 16 percent. The 2011 Tiguan front-wheel-drive model delivers 20 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. VW says the revised Tiguan with the carryover 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine will return "an estimated 29 mpg highway." It did not spell out how it achieved those fuel economy gains.
Volkswagen's emphasis on the Tiguan's fuel economy improvement comes at a time when U.S. consumers are reeling from rapidly rising gas pump prices in the wake of unrest in the Middle East. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge on Monday said the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas is $3.36. A year ago, the price was $2.70. The U.S. Commerce Department reports that gas is taking a major bite out of consumers' wallets this year. In January, sales at gas stations accounted for 10.34 percent of all retail sales, it noted. That is the highest level since October 2008.
The 2012 Tiguan gets a redesigned grille and a revised rear bumper. It will offer a factory-installed 19-inch wheel option for the first time. The cabin in the base model gets improved cloth seating surfaces in black. The top-of-the-line Tiguan SEL will feature leather seating surfaces in black or beige. An eight-speaker audio system is standard.
Volkswagen said earlier this month that the 2012 Tiguan is sold out in Germany. It is priced at around $33,000 in the home market. The 2011 Tiguan starts at $24,540, including an $820 destination charge, in the U.S.-insideline.com
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