Volkswagen's upcoming compact SUV will be named Taos, the automaker shared on Thursday. The new vehicle, which VW first teased earlier this month, will slot under the Tiguan to become the brand's smallest SUV offering, but the finer details remain unknown.
The name choice is a wonderful break from some odd names the automaker used for recent concept cars. I'm thinking of things like ID Roomz and the like. They're silly, VW! Taos is a much better name. If you're wondering where the name comes from, VW said it took the name from Taos, New Mexico. The small town of 6,000 people is home to some stunning scenery, including the Sangre de Cristo mountains and Rio Grande Gorge.
And a fun fact: VW also said Taos was also home to John Muir, who authored a repair book and manual dedicated to past Volkswagen models. The successful book led Muir to open a dedicated VW repair shop in Taos, which serviced all sorts of now-vintage cars from the German automaker. (That truly is a fun fact, in my opinion.)
As for Taos the SUV, it's still hard to tell just how small VW is talking when it calls the SUV a "compact." It could be ever so slightly smaller than the Tiguan, or it may go even smaller to tackle rivals like the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Honda HR-V. We'll more than likely learn a little more before the Oct. 13 debut, so stay tuned.