What may seem like a Volkswagen Tiguan in "poverty spec" with unpainted bumpers is actually something else. You can easily see the beefy side skirts flanking what is surely a battery pack housed within a stretched wheelbase of the already longer Tiguan Allspace. The extra thickness of the B-pillars reveals the vehicle is longer than the combustion-engined crossover, presumably to fit more batteries between the axles.
The absence of an exhaust system is also a telltale sign that there is no internal combustion engine underneath the hood. In addition, VW chose to use the body of the Tiguan Allspace before its facelift, so clearly, this is something else than what the peeps from Wolfsburg want us to believe. The dashboard appears to have a more upright design compared to the ICE-powered crossover, further suggesting the exterior appearance is misleading.
Gallery: Volkswagen electric crossover test mule spy photos
Ok, but what exactly is this? Well, VW announced in March 2021 that there would be a next-generation Tiguan with combustion engines and plug-in hybrid powertrains. This clearly isn't it. Perhaps the peeps from Wolfsburg want to slot a new electric crossover below the ID.4. Using the Tiguan Allspace's body suggests it will be based on the same MQB platform rather than on the dedicated MEB architecture. However, we can't be certain at this point as it would make more sense to use already available bespoke EV underpinnings.
It should be noted that VW Group's Czech arm Skoda recently teased what appeared to be an electric crossover smaller than the Enyaq. It will be unveiled later this year as a concept, which may or may not be related to the test mule caught here in Sweden. VW's variant could be as boxy as Skoda's and therefore serve as an alternative to the bulbous ID.4.
It's just speculation on our part since details about what VW is testing in Northern Sweden are not available at this point. Of course, there's also the possiblity this isn't a VW after all but another EV for SEAT, Skoda, or Audi. For what it's worth, Ford will use the MEB platform for not one, but two EVs in the coming years. It'll be interesting to see how the Blue Oval will separate its zero-emissions models from VW's.
