Back in August 2017 when the new Volkswagen T-Roc was revealed, the German brand’s local arm confirmed that it planned to bring the little crossover to South Africa. But VW SA has since become a little more tentative on the topic.
Indeed, the firm has now told CARmag.co.za that the T-Roc – which is positioned below the popular Tiguan – is “not confirmed” for the local market “at the moment”.
Why? Well, it all seems to come down to pricing, with the brand hinting that bringing in the T-Roc from the Portugal facility at which it is built would perhaps be a little expensive.
“When it comes to introducing new models in the SA market, factors like exchange rate which impacts pricing play a role,” VW SA told us.
Interestingly, however, VW SA also revealed that the upcoming T-Cross – a baby crossover that is expected to be revealed in production guise later in 2018, before slotting in below the T-Roc – is “destined for South Africa”, although “exact timing is not yet defined”.
It’s also not yet clear where the new T-Cross will be built, but seeing as it seems likely to share many components (including powertrains) with the sixth-generation Polo, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the pint-sized crossover could be built at Uitenhage, right here in South Africa … or, indeed, even in Kenya.
