The Small S.U.V.\'s of São Paulo: VW Previews the Taigun, and Nissan Shows the Extreme

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen Taigun concept.

The downsizing trend for crossovers and S.U.V.'s has arrived at Volkswagen Group and Nissan, which on Monday previewed the Taigun and Extrem concepts in conjunction with the São Paulo auto show, where previews are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Poised to join the VW Group's New Small Family agenda, which includes the Up city car, the front-drive Taigun is almost two feet shorter than the brand's small S.U.V., the Tiguan, and more than five inches lower. The Taigun's wheelbase is shorter as well, at 97.2 inches.

Should the concept go into production, and potentially find a home under VW's Skoda and Seat brands as well as within Volkswagen itself, the T aigun's most obvious competition would be the Nissan Juke and the BMW X1.

Power for the Taigun comes from a 1-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine aimed at fuel efficiency, with torque rated by VW at a fizzy 129 pound-feet at 1,500 r.p.m. “The torque-strong 3-cylinder is an ideal engine for such a compact S.U.V.,” Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, head of technical development for the VW brand, said in a statement.

The 17-inch alloy wheels are framed by muscular arches at both ends of the vehicle, which extend nearly up to the greenhouse. A fun piece of concept candy is the LED spotlights built into the roof rails. The rear two-piece tailgate is typical of a VW hatch, but the interior is not, with its large aluminum-strip decoration and uncluttered, three-element instrument cluster. A feature borrowed from Audi, VW's upmarket corporate sibling, are dials in the dashboard air nozzles that allow driver and passenger to control temperature and blower speeds.

Volkswagen Group