VW shows off baby crossover concept
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Volkswagen's Taigun concept, revealed last week at the Sao Paulo, Brazil, auto show, is a preview of the look and mechanical layout of a small crossover to be positioned below the Tiguan in about two years.
By showing the Taigun now, VW hopes to receive valuable feedback from potential customers.
VW product development boss Ulrich Hackenberg said the production version is "not only planned to be sold in South America but around the world."
At 151.9 inches long, the Taigun is 22.3 inches shorter than the Tiguan and is narrower and lower. But it has a rugged look, with high-set bumpers with scuff plates, a heavily contoured hood, bulging wheel arches with 17-inch wheels and cladding along the wheel arches and sills.
The exterior styling was developed by in-house designers working under VW brand design boss Klaus Bischoff.
Bischoff says the interior was inspired by the latest smartphones, with a clean and minimalist look that aims for the simplicity of early off-road vehicles.
The concept is based on a stretched version of VW's NSF (for "new small family") steel platform used for the Up city car in Europe.
But insiders say the production version could sit on Volkswagen's modular transverse architecture platform and use the same four-wheel-drive system developed by Audi for the limited-production A1 Quattro.
You can reach Greg Kable at autonews@crain.com.
