The replacement for the dated Saveiro will enter production next year in Brazil and could potentially still come to South Africa.
Tukan has finally been revealed as the replacement for the Saveiro. Picture: motor1.com Brazil
A model eight years in the making after debuting as the Tarok Concept at the São Paulo Motor Show in 2018, Volkswagen officially unveiled the half-ton Tukan bakkie at the annual Festa do Peão de Barretos in São Paulo on Friday afternoon (21 August).
Single or double cab
Only entering production next year at the São José dos Pinhais plant, the long awaited replacement for the Saveiro’s first undisguised public showing went without any details being divulged.
In fact, its reveal at the reported biggest rodeo and cowboy festival in Brazil only confirmed that two bodystyles would be offered.
Publicly shown in May as part of Volkswagen do Brasil’s sponsorship of the Brazilian football team in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup, the then still camouflaged Tukan was shown in what was believed to be the flagship double cab variant.
A bodystyle never available on the Saveiro, the exhibited model at the “Barretos” sported the Extreme nomenclature, which, as on its pending predecessor, denotes the top-spec trim grade.
First spied in June, the unveiling of the double cab also saw the arrival of a single cab, which sported the base or workhorse-focused Robust designation.
Aimed at the Fiat Strada, the double cab will rival the Fiat Toro, Ford Maverick, Ram Rampage, Chevrolet Montana and the incoming Renault Niagara.
Mechanically?
Incorporating styling from the Tera, which will go on sale in South Africa next year as the locally assembled Tengo, Volkswagen also declined to provide any interior images as the models shown at the event were reportedly locked after being shown.
Official images, as published by motor1.com Brazil, also came without any cabin depictions.
Underneath, the Tukan is widely expected to ride on the MQB A0 platform which underpins both the Polo, Tengo/Tera and the Polo Vivo.
However, the motor1.com Brazil report notes that the rear suspension has a leaf spring design only, and not a torsion beam previously alleged as being one of the proposed options on lifestyle variants.
Power
According to the publication, three engine options have been mentioned: the normally aspirated 1.6 from the Saveiro, a flex-fuel version of the 1.0 TSI shared with the Tera and the eTSI pairing the 1.5 TSI Evo engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.
Transmissions will seemingly consist of a five-speed manual, a six-speed Tiptronic and a new eight-speed Tiptronic. As with the Saveiro, the Tukan will be front-wheel drive only.
What about South Africa?
Reported to have undergone two million kilometres of testing, the Tukan has emerged as a possible inclusion for South Africa.
This, after This, after Volkswagen Group Africa Managing Director, Martina Biene, told Engineering News in 2023 that a half-ton remains an option for South Africa, but only if it could sell 20 000 units on a yearly basis to justify local assembly.
More recently, Wolfsburg confirmed that a local delegation was present at the May unveiling as part of a feasibility study into bringing the Tukan to South Africa.
This comes after Biene told The Citizen on the sidelines of the Tayron’s launch last year that Volkswagen in South Africa needs to look to the future after the Tengo at its plant in the Eastern Cape.
“With the Tengo having been the third product for so long, we also need to look at what is happening next, and a [half-ton] bakkie is probably the most viable next,” Biene said.
Volkswagen South Africa’s appointment of a project head for the Tengo/Tera programme together with Brazil and India has been another key reason for the Tukan being offered locally, chances Biene described as being “very good”.
“The reason why is that it will be based on the MQB platform and with [the availability] of this platform becoming more limited, it is a very good option,” she said.
“It will keep investment down… and it will be [a product] to use this platform”.
Stay tuned
Set to be fully detailed before the end of the year in readiness for production in Brazil next year, Volkswagen Group Africa is likely only to announce its plans for the Tukan after the start of Tengo assembly.
As such, expect a possible announcement to be made at the brand’s annual product Indaba in the new year.
