Volkswagen is adding a new electric SUV to its range. It’s about the e-Tharu. It is a fully electric version of the Tharu, an SUV that was also recently launched on the American market as Taos. The e-Tharu is not coming to Europe.
The Tharu was introduced on the Chinese market over two years ago. Onloangs Volkswagen also launched the SUV as Taos in the United States, but it does not stop there when it comes to the news about this model. Volkswagen is presenting the e-Tharu, a fully electric variant that should serve as a cheaper alternative to the ID4 developed as an EV.
The e-Tharu is therefore not on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, which is intended solely for electric cars. Underneath the carriage is simply the MQB platform that we know from the conventional products of the Volkswagen Group. The e-Tharu has a 136 hp and 290 Nm strong electric motor that drives the front axle. The power source draws its zest for life from a battery pack with a capacity of 44 kWh. This means that the e-Tharu must be able to cover 315 kilometers according to the NEDC cycle. In just over 50 minutes, an empty battery pack can be recharged up to 80 percent of its capacity. The top speed of the e-Tharu produced by the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture is 150 km / h.
From the outside, the thick 4.45 meter long e-Tharu hardly differs from the conventional versions. An exhaust system is missing and of course it gets a new charging point and a closed grille. Volkswagen also gives the e-Tharu a set of e-badges and a different front bumper. The model does not come to Europe and is therefore not sold in the Netherlands.