The Volkswagen Group in India is starting off on a fresh note. As part of its India 2.0, the group now called Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Ltd, consisting of five brands - Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini will feed of each others expertise.
The group will be using a new platform for a number of cars in India – the MQB A0 IN platform. The first product that is coming off this platform is the new Volkswagen Taigun that was unveiled on 3 February. It will go on sale in the first half of 2020.
The Volkswagen Taigun is a compact SUV that will compete with the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos in a space that is seeing good sales volumes. It will come with a choice of two petrol motors. Pricing is likely to be between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 16 lakh.
The Taigun will have a 1.5 litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that puts out 130 bhp of power and 200 Nm of peak torque. It will have a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as an option.
The other engine on offer in the Taigun is a three-cylinder, 1-litre turbo-charged petrol motor that puts out 115 bhp of power and 175 Nm of peak torque. It will also have a 6-speed transmission. There will be no diesel engine choices with the Taigun. (VW is playing it safe after “dieselgate”.)
Specific to India, Volkswagen has re-purposed the European-spec T-Cross as the Taigun. It has a slightly increased ground clearance of 205 mm and a wheelbase that’s longer by about 100 mm to give it a more spacious cabin.
At the Auto Expo 2020, Volkswagen will also showcase its electric range of cars - the ID.3 platform, the facelifted Tiguan and the T-Roc.
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