Speculations suggest that Volkswagen India will bring Taigun compact SUV to the domestic market by 2015 or 2016. The SUV was displayed at the 12th Auto Expo held in February this year and will be the first sub-four meter SUV from the stables of Volkswagen to be offered in India.
Taigun will be conceived on Up! platform, the SUV could also borrow some of the features from its sibling vehicles, Tiguan and Touareg like the underbody panels. To render a sporty look to the SUV the company will bestow sporty roof rails with LED spotlights and craggy side panels will render a rugged look to the side profile of the vehicle. Taigun will come with a boot space of 280 litres which can further be increased to 987 litres by folding the rear seats.
Volkswagen will offer Taigun compact SUV in petrol and diesel variants. Petrol powered trims could be powered by a 1.0 litre TSI mill capable of generating a maximum power output of 110 Bhp and a peak torque of 175 Nm. Diesel variants are expected to be equipped with a 1.2 litre TDI powertrain belting out a maximum power of 74 Bhp. Petrol and diesel variants will be made available in manual transmission, a five speed manual tranny will mated to both the engines.
However, there is also a probability of AT variant that could be offered on petrol trims. The automatic variant is likely to be affixed with a 7-speed DSG transmission. Volkswagen will assemble Taigun at its manufacturing unit located in Pune. In India, the SUV will compete with the likes of Duster and EcoSport. Competition will get fierce in future as Honda and Tata are also developing compact SUVs which they contemplate to launch soon in India.
Besides, Taigun SUV, company is also mulling over to launch a sub-four meter sedan in India. Sub-four meter segment is gaining popularity in India with a fast pace, several SUVs, MPVs and sedans have been launched in this segment and various others will be launched soon. Low excise duty levied on sub-four meter vehicle enables car makers to price them competitively and this is one of the reasons behind the segment’s spiralling popularity.
