- Spotted testing at the ‘Ring

- Expected to arrive before 2025

Volkswagen turning all its might towards electrification has seen all-new products roll out under their newly-found ID sub-brand. But what about existing products in their line-up, especially long-running products like the Tiguan? Before the turn of the decade, these prevailing nameplates in VW’s line-up will also see an electric iteration.

Spotted doing rounds on the Nurburgring, a mysterious Tiguan test mule seemed a bit different. With slammed ride height, lack of exhaust tips at the back and a closed-off front grille can only hint at one thing – a pure EV version. The Tiguan body shell has been a test bed for many other SUVs under the Volkswagen Group including everything from a Cayenne to a Q8. So this prototype could also be one of the test beds for an all-electric platform for future electric SUVs under the VW Group umbrella.

Since the current-gen Tiguan is based on the versatile MQB platform, the test mule could be underpinned by a modified MEB platform – the electric-specific architecture from VW. The electric powertrain could make use of a single-motor or dual-motor setup as well to accommodate the off-roading and performance credentials of an AWD electric SUV.

This is just the first appearance of an electric-based Tiguan. We could see a lot more kilometres of testing before there would be an official word from the German carmaker. We could expect a production-ready version to surface by the middle of this decade.