Latest news with #Tion
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
PODCAST: VW Tera to be renamed to Tengo, Tavo, Tiva or Tion
South African public gets to choose the new name for the baby SUV to be built in Kariega. Volkswagen has given the public a choice between four names for the new compact SUV known as the VW Tera in Brazil it plans to build in Kariega. In sticking to its naming convention with all its SUV names starting with the letter T, the names on the table are Tengo, Tavo, Tiva and Tion. But what do these names mean? On this week's episode of the Pitstop podcast, we take a closer look at the four names. ALSO READ: Voting opens: Names for South Africa's VW Tera revealed VW Tera to be renamed According to the German carmaker, Tengo is defined as a 'rich cultural significance in African language and describes qualities like strength, resilience and purpose'. Moving on to Tavo, VW describes it as 'a gender-neutral word meaning good or beloved in Latin and also eight'. Tiva 'means nature in Hebrew and is also associated with vitality, life and energy', the carmaker says. Lastly, the name Tion 'signifies aesthetic appeal and evokes a sense of movement and change'. ALSO READ: What South Africa can expect: Volkswagen Tera detailed in Brazil Kariega plant upgrades The local version of the VW Tera will be built on the same A0 platform as the Polo and T-Cross. The VW assembly plant in Kariega recently underwent a R4-billion upgrade of 100 robots, conveyor belts in the final assembly area and enhancements to the body paint shops to gear up for the new SUV. Production is expected to start sometime next year. The Mzansi VW Tera is set to replace the T-Cross as Wolfburg's smallest SUV. The latter goes out of production next year. It is set to be replaced by the all-electric ID.2X in European markets. The Brazilian-built VW Tera and its sibling in Mzansi will then be offered exclusively for developing markets.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- IOL News
Volkswagen asks South Africans to choose a name for its new SUV: these are the four options
Tengo, Tavi, Tiva or Tion? What will VWSA call its new budget SUV? Image: Supplied 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 new vehicle was developed in Brazil, but will have local adaptations. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 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. plied The interior bears some resemblance to the latest Tiguan and T-Cross models. Image: Supplied plied The interior bears some resemblance to the latest Tiguan and T-Cross models. Image: Supplied 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
