The Tarek will be competing against the Jeep Compass in Brazil.

The Volkswagen Tarek crossover is the brand’s upcoming crossover to slot below the Tiguan, and new spy shots catch the South-American-market version under development. It will be available in North America in 2021 . This test mule was seen on the road near Sao Paulo.

The camouflage is applied to the rear and front of the vehicle, but the middle remains exposed. The design is sleek and upright, and it looks similar to the smaller Crossover. Although the Tarek is available in China, VW sells it there as the Tharu. They look very similar apart from some differences in the trim.

The Tarek is 14.6 feet (4.45 m) in length and has an 8.8-foot (2.68 meter) wheelbase. Cargo space is 15.72 cubic feet (410 Liters).

South American Tareks will be equipped with a 1.4 TTI engine that produces 148 horsepower (110kW) and 184 poundfeet (253 Newton-meters). This engine is connected to the front wheels via a six speed automatic gearbox. It is possible that an all-wheel drive will be made available in the future.

The Tarek in South America will be placed between the Tiguan and T-Cross in VW’s crossover lineup. It will compete with the Jeep Compass. There will be a standard version with seating for five and a seven-seater variant. At current exchange rates, the prices should be between R$ 120,00 and R$ 150,000 (between $31,000 and $39,000).

The Tarek will be made by VW in Mexico at the factory that was previously used for the Beetle . Steffen Reiche is the VW of Mexico CEO. He says that the Tarek North American variant is tougher than the Chinese version.