The four-seat Taigun previews the look and mechanical layout for a new Volkswagen model to be positioned and priced below the popular Tiguan. The new SUV will be launched toward the middle of the decade as a rival to vehicles such as the Mini Countryman, Nissan Juke and Chevrolet Trax.
By showing the Taigun two years before its planned market introduction, Volkswagen hopes to receive valuable feedback from potential customers. The Taigun is set to provide the basis for a new family of vehicles, including similar-sized offerings from Seat, Skoda and possibly Audi.
The Taigun concept is powered by a 1-liter diesel engine. (Photo: Volkswagen) Although the concept is described as a tribute to the Brazilian market, Ulrich Hackenberg, the head of Volkswagen research and development, confirms the upcoming production version of the new SUV is "not only planned to be sold in South America but around the world."
Taigun is based around a stretched version of Volkswagen's NSF (New Small Family) steel platform used for the Up city car, with exterior styling developed by a team of in-house designers working under Volkswagen brand design boss Klaus Bischoff. It takes on a more rugged and functional form than the Tiguan, with four front-hinged doors and a tailgate that extends well into the rear bumper.
Bischoff describes the new SUV's appearance as "confident, logical and clean." As seen on recent new Volkswagen models, the Taigun is dominated by horizontal design elements, while various details aim to provide visual links to the Tiguan, most notably the taillamps.
At 151.9 inches long, 68 inches wide and 61.8 inches tall, the Taigun is 22.3 inches shorter, 3.2 inches narrower and 5.1 inches lower than the Tiguan. Its 97.2-inch wheelbase and 58-inch track widths are also 7.1 inches shorter and 3.8 inches narrower, respectively, than the Tiguan.
Volkswagen says the Taigun's interior was inspired by smartphone design. (Photo: Volkswagen) Power for the Taigun concept comes from the same turbocharged 1-liter three-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine destined for the upcoming Up GT and other models in 2013. Part of Volkswagen's new EA211 engine family, it uses 3.46-inch bore spacing and an aluminum block to make it both compact and lightweight.
The transversely mounted engine kicks out a claimed 108 horsepower, four more than VW's existing turbocharged 1.2-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine, with peak torque put at 129 pound-feet at 1,500 rpm. Drive is channeled through a six-speed manual gearbox.
The powertrain can propel the 2,172-pound Taigun from 0-to-62-mph in 9.2 seconds and to a top speed of 116 mph, VW says, with estimated fuel economy of 50 mpg.
According to Bischoff, the interior of the Taigun was inspired by the latest smartphones. It has a clean and reduced look that aims for the visual clarity and simplicity of early off-roaders.
A thin, aluminum-look strip forms the basis of the dashboard, housing a plain-looking three-dial instrument binnacle, a trio of additional gauges, integrated color monitor and chunky controls for the air conditioning set within the air vents on the outer edges.
This story originally appeared at Autoweek.com.
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-vw-joining-compact-suv-fray/
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