Volkswagen Taigun Compact SUV Concept Debuts at Sao Paulo Motor Show
Volkswagen has revealed a new compact SUV concept called Taigun at the São Paulo motor show in Brazil. The Taigun (yes, switch couple of letters and you get a Tiguan) concept is based on a new small car platform, which also underpins up! city car.
Volkswagen has shown its intention to enter the compact SUV market with the Taigun, a sub Tiguan size Up based SUV to compete against the Ford EcoBoost.
The Taigun is just 3.86 metres long and 1.73 metres wide with a generous 2.47 metre wheelbase.
Power comes from a new 108bhp 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 175 Nm of torque that is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. This new engine returns 60.1 mpg, while taking the 985 kg Taigun from zero to 62 mph in 9.2 seconds and on to 115 mph top speed.
The high driving position gives the driver an optimum view in traffic. Luggage capacity is 280-litres increasing to 987 litres with the rear seats down. The tailgate is split horizontally, with the top two-thirds opening upwards and the bottom third folding down.Taigun interior headroom is 1,036 mm in front and 980 mm at the back, with controls pared back to a minimum. The front air nozzles, for example, not only individually control the direction of the air flow, but also the blower speed and the temperature, which is displayed within the nozzle. Meanwhile the central infotainment system can pair with the majority of smartphones, providing an intuitive interface. Above this are mounted auxiliary instrument gauges that display oil pressure, coolant temperature and turbo charge pressure.
Volkswagen said it will be monitoring public reaction to Taigun concept before taking a decision on whether to put it into production or not. With different automakers turning their attention to small SUV’s we are quite sure Volkswagen will soon announce that the Taigun is approved for production…
Volkswagen’s plans for the Taigun, Tiguan and Touareg obviously follow those of Ford with the EcoSport, Kuga and Edge which are similarly offered as a world market SUV range.
