Spied - After a gentle facelift, the VW Tiguan is ready to resume life in China

The VW Tiguan received a facelift in Europe for 2012 but the Chinese had to wait till now for a new version to enter their country. However they must be a cheerful lot as they've apparently received a country-specific cosmetic revision expected to reach dealers later this year.

Here are the first spyshots of the uncamouflaged car that was captured by Auto.ifeng.com. The exterior of the car is different compared to the European facelift (shown below) but still manages to aligns itself with VW's family identity.

The headlamps merge with the two slot chrome grill like most of the VWs, but the split lamp detailing is new. The foglights are like standing surf boards with trails leading to the bumper. The rear of the car is differentiated with redetailed tail lamps.

The Tiguan for Chinese market is made by the Shanghai-VW joint venture and it is based on the Audi Q3, another model that is made in China (by FAW-VW joint venture).

The current Tiguan is powered by a pair of TSI turbocharged direct injection petrol engines which displace 1.8 litre and 2.0 litre. The engines are expected to be taken forward by the facelift and a greener 1.4-litre BlueMotion version is likely to be included in the lineup.

The VW Tiguan facelift is expected to be showcased at the Shanghai Auto Show which starts on April 20. The compact five-seat crossover SUV would go on sale in China shortly after its debut.

[Source: Auto.ifeng.com]