On June 7, FAW-Volkswagen launched its new Talagon SUV (众享款 – Public Sharing Edition) in 12 trims, with a price range of 261,900 – 361,900 yuan (36,100 – 49,900 USD). As an annual facelift model, the new Talagon’s design and configurations remained largely the same compared with the old model, but its price tag has been reduced by as much as 43,000 yuan (6,000 USD).
The FAW-Volkswagen Talagon first launched in June 2021. In the first four months of this year, 2,884, 1,119, 1,638, and 1,442 Talagons were sold, respectively. By decreasing the price tag with the new Talagon, FAW-Volkswagen is most likely aiming to increase sales.
The new Talagon is positioned as a medium-to-large SUV, available in 6-seater and 7-seater versions, targeting the family car market segment. It measures 5152/2002/1795 mm with a 2980 mm wheelbase. Both single- and dual-color (black roof) exteriors are offered. The car runs on either 20-inch or 21-inch rims.
Inside, the cockpit remains unchanged, equipped with a 12-inch central control display, a 10.25-inch full LCD instrument panel, and and a leather three-spoke flat-bottom multi-function steering wheel.
The car comes standard with an 8-speaker audio system, leather and fabric mixed seats, keyless entry, an electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and driver fatigure monitoring. Furthermore, the high-end trims are equipped with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, steering wheel heating, 30-color ambient lighting, and advanced driving assistance capabilities including parking assist, rear traffic warning, and blind spot monitoring.
The standard trunk volume of the 6-seat version is 942 L and the 7-seat version is 880 L. At the same time, the second row seats offer massage functions.
The new FAW-Volkswagen Talagon offers three engine options: a 2.0T low-power engine (137 kW/183 hp and 320 Nm), a 2.0T high-power engine (162 kW/217 hp and 350 Nm), and a 2.5T V6 engine (220 kW/295 hp and 500 Nm). All mated to a 7-speed DCT. An optional four-wheel drive system is also available. The official 0 – 100 km/h acceleration time is 10.8 seconds, 9.2 seconds, and 8.2 seconds, respectively.
In 2024, FAW-Volkswagen set a sales target of 1.9 million to 2 million vehicles. According to official data, in 2023, FAW-Volkswagen sold 1.9102 million vehicles (including imported Audi vehicles), a year-on-year increase of 4.8%. Among them, Volkswagen sold more than 1.05 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 0.9%; Audi sold 698,188 vehicles (including imported vehicles), a year-on-year increase of 9.8%; and Jetta sold 162,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%.
At the same time, FAW-Volkswagen indicated that it continues to launch gasoline-powered (ICE) vehicles due to their demand. For example, among the 21.699 million passenger vehicles sold in China last year, ICE vehicles accounted for about 64% of the total sales with 13.95 million units sold, compared with 7.75 new energy vehicles sold.
