(October 23, 2012) Volkswagen’s latest concept car, the Taigun, has been unveiled at the São Paulo motor show, and previews the look of a possible small SUV based on the New Small Family platform, which underpins the award-winning up!. Just like the up!, the Taigun is small on the outside — at just 152 inches long — but big on the inside, thanks to a generous 97-inch wheelbase. 

These dimensions give the Taigun short overhangs and purposeful proportions, while the clear, concise exterior styling follows the unmistakable Volkswagen design DNA.



Powering the four-seat Taigun is a new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 108 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and pushing 129 lbs ft of torque through the six-speed manual gearbox.  The engine is based on the latest EA211 series, and with the use of direct fuel injection and turbocharging it is able to return a combined fuel consumption of just 4.7 liters per 100km (60.1 mpg), despite being able to take the 985 kg Taigun from zero to 62 mph in 9.2 seconds and on to 186 km/h (115 mph) top speed.

The look of the Taigun is deliberately styled to emulate that of its SUV siblings, the Tiguan and Touareg, as is evident in the rugged side panels, underbody protection and practical roof rails with LED spotlights. 

The interior of the Taigun is simple and spacious, 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 will be monitoring public reaction to this vehicle before taking a decision on whether to put the Taigun into production.