[AyAn!]

The Taigun looks massively fresh. And bold, especially with that crazy trimming. The Duster already seems like a distant memory, and at 985 Kgs, she's impressively light-footed too.

[ampere]

Good to see this. But more importantly can VW get it to India at the same price point? A small premium on build quality is fine, but anything above; it would go the Yeti way. "Very good, but not for every one"

[karan561]

Autocar UK test drives the Taigun concept for the 1st time;







Source: Autocar UK

[Drivethru]

karan, thanks for the pics. the vehicle does look cool and exudes sound build quality. VW India been unable to figure out their after sales service, spare parts pricing and availability, showroom sales staff and finish quality. till they get these basics right there wont be many takers for their products. I wont be surprised in 6 months if audi sells more cars than VW in India. VW India cant even offer extended warranty on some of their cars beyond their 2 year warranty. This policies dont inspire too much confidence in potential buyers.

Somehow they have to get out projecting the attitude of "Big company, High quality product and premium pricing". This is purely a personal opinion, others may have a different view.

[volkman10]

Prospective India-bound VW Taigun gets test driven by European media.

Here are some noteworthy excerpts from the reviews.

Launch date seems 2016.

As far as the exteriors go, the production version could feature a toned down design of the grill and headlights. Apart from that, the wheels may become a bit smaller as compared to the current 17-inch 205/65 rubber.

The interior of the production version would like to be redesigned with conventional plastics the interest of cost competitiveness.

It is unanimously reported that the seating position and the view from the driver seat is that of a mini SUV rather than a small 3.8 meter hatchback.

This engine produces 109bhp of power and it is praised for its peppy performance and above average exhaust note. The 6-speed manual delivers the true VW feel one has in cars higher up such as the Polo, Vento, Jetta. VW estimates put the 0-100km/h time as 9.2 seconds and a top speed of 116mph (185km/h). The Taigun’s fuel efficiency is rated at 4.7l/100km (21.27km/l).

European media estimate the VW Taigun to have a starting price of 16,000 euros (about INR 12 lakhs).



http://indianautosblog.com/2013/07/v...n-review-87460

[ampere]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Prospective India-bound VW Taigun gets test driven by European media.

Truly an Ecosport equivalent! Look at that boot space. Surely for the space on offers, and a premium price on the brand; would not entail it to the masses. Most probably it may remain as a premium product with low volumes only.

Is Skoda Polar in the same category (<4m) or it is bigger?

[volkman10]

India most likely would get the Taigun in 2016!

Volkswagen plans to assemble the Taigun at two manufacturing plants to satisfy what it hopes will be strong sales in many developing markets. Left-hand drive examples will likely hail from its operations in São Paulo, Brazil, with right-hand-drive examples set to come from its plant in Pune, India. Producing it at a third plant in Kaluga, Russia, is also being looked at.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2013...#ixzz2ZGUbOKO6

[volkman10]

More pics of Taigun surfaces.




Cheers!

[volkman10]

Autobild reports.

The Taigun is under 16,000 Euro
16,000 Euro for the cost price shall apply under the entry-level model, as a target for the almost 10,000 euros would be more favorable than the current Tiguan. And the difference should be even greater, if the Tiguan within 18 months in the second generation. However, the final launch Taigun is missing the end of 2015/beginning of 2016 still something very crucial: the green light of the VW-board of directors.

First video - drive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=AwHBdQJ5QSg

[k_ajay]

To me, it looks more compact and smaller when compared to the EcoSport (both cars fitting into same segment). We already have the masses and haters crying that the EcoSport has very poor seat width and boot space.

Wonder what the reception to this vehicle will be, when it comes.. Will be interesting to see, for sure.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

To me, it looks more compact and smaller when compared to the EcoSport (both cars fitting into same segment). We already have the masses and haters crying that the EcoSport has very poor seat width and boot space.

Wonder what the reception to this vehicle will be, when it comes.. Will be interesting to see, for sure.

If anyone wants the space of an Innova in a vehicle that is one third the size, then aren't they being rather dunderheaded, to say the least?
My submission, no brand or product can never completely satisfy this great Indian consumer, whatever one may do.
The essence of brand management - never try to be everything to eerybody. You're setting yourself up for complete, abject failure if you do!

[Batfreak]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

To me, it looks more compact and smaller when compared to the EcoSport (both cars fitting into same segment). We already have the masses and haters crying that the EcoSport has very poor seat width and boot space.

Wonder what the reception to this vehicle will be, when it comes.. Will be interesting to see, for sure.

It just doesn't look smaller. It IS smaller. It is just 3.80 meters long which is about 10 cm smaller than even the Punto. So don't really expect the car to be a great hit as people, as you mentioned, are already pretty sore about the size difference between the Ecosport and the Duster.

[volkman10]

Taigun green lighted for production; India, Brazil get top priority!

The 1.0-liter TSI petrol engine is likely to be retained though. For markets such as India, VW will also offer a diesel engine.

http://indianautosblog.com/2013/07/v...oduction-88769

[JayPrashanth]

Link to News Section

The Up! platform has spawned a compact SUV in the form of the Volkswagen Taigun, which was showcased in concept form at last year's Sau Paulo Motor Show. According to AutoWeek, the German car maker has green lighted the Taigun compact SUV for emerging markets across the globe including India and Brazil. Initially, the Taigun is slated to go into production in two countries: Sau Paulo in Brazil and Chakan in India, both of which happen to be the locations of Volkswagen factories.



Also, Russia could be the third country to be involved in the Taigun's production. 2016 is the estimated time line for the Taigun's production variants to hit roads. In the past, Volkswagen India has stated that fresh investments would be made in India only after 2015. Until then, the German car maker is expected to make do with periodic refreshes and new variants of its existing range of cars sold in India.



So, a 2016 time line for the Volkswagen Taigun compact SUV seems likely. A sub-4 meter compact SUV, the Volkswagen Taigun could be positioned squarely against the Ford EcoSport crossover. Other rivals for the Taigun could include the upcoming Suzuki Jimny replacement (Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha for India) and the Fiat Panda Trekking. Dimensions wise, the Taigun measures 3.86 meters in length, 1.73 meters in width and 1.57 meters in height.



These dimensions mean that the Taigun will give Volkswagen enough room to squeeze in another compact SUV, which will occupy the space between the Taigun and the Tiguan. There has been word about the MQB platform, which will underpin the next generation 2015 Polo, also supporting a compact SUV. The Taigun's positioning only seems to make that possibility stronger. A 1 liter-3 cylinder turbo petrol engine and a small capacity, turbo diesel engine are the two engine options likely to be offered on the Taigun.



The car will come with a front wheel drive layout as standard. Both manual and dual clutch DSG automatic gearbox options could be offered on the compact SUV. Volkswagen India has been testing the Up! hatchback extensively on Indian roads. The idea behind all this testing is to explore the possibility of localizing a large number of parts of this hatchback, in order to make the platform suitable for the Indian car market. The Volkswagen Taigun could be the beneficiary of this localization exercise.

Despite having cars such as the Polo hatchback and the Vento sedan in big volume segments, the German car maker is yet to make a significant mark in the Indian market. A top selling product such as the Duster for Renault or the Figo for Ford is what Volkswagen needs and the Taigun could be just that product given the growing preference for compact SUVs in the Indian car market.

[Skyline GT-R]

After seeing the hot response for Duster initially & EcoSport recently VW should bring Taigun to CSUV loving India soon in order to become the World No:1 as per their plans.