Volkswagen PH launches five new models, Santana Priced at PhP 686,000

MANILA: The Volkswagen Santana, Santana GTS along with other cars namely: Lavida, Lamando, and the VW Tiguan have made way to the Philippines shores that are sold in the international markets, courtesy of Volkswagen PH. The move initiated due to favorable tariffs as a result of the ASEAN- China Free Trade Agreement. The sourcing of new models from China has already started.

The Santana and the Santana GTS are the manufacturer’s entries in the B-segment, the Lavida will take on rivals in the entry-level C-segment while the Tiguan finds its place in the crossover segment. The Lamando, on the other hand, is a more upmarket offering featuring in the middle of C and D segments cars.

The Santana standard is a sedan that draws power from a 1.4-litre gasoline engine, mated to a manual gearbox. The automatic version of whose will be introduced later this year. It gets a price tag of PhP 686,000. It will go up against the likes of the Suzuki Ciaz, Honda City and the Toyota Vios in the Philippines. The Santana GTS, on the other hand, gets an extended rear section and is powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, gasoline engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The VW Lavida is priced at Php 1.171 million and comes as an alternative to the outgoing Volkswagen Jetta. Under the hood, it is equipped with a 1.4-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder gasoline engine that is powered by BlueMotion Technology, mated to a 7-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox). Power and torque are rated at 129.7 PS and 225 Nm respectively. It gets premium features like automatic climate control and a sunroof.

Talking about the VW Lamando, it houses a 1.4-litre TSI engine under the bonnet, mated to a dual-clutch transmission system. With a half panoramic sunroof as standard, it is more of an upmarket model to be sold in the country from the German car manufacturer.

Lastly, the VW Tiguan, which is the segment-leader in China, gets a 1.4-litre TSI, four-cylinder, gasoline engine, mated to a 6-speed DSG. The power mill can produce a max power of 150 PS and a peak torque of 250 Nm. It is the previous-gen model with a longer wheelbase.

The Santana, Lavida and the Tiguan are available across the entire VW dealership network while the Santana GTS and the Lamando will be available to buy in November.