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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.
