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Volkswagen Tiguan Concept for LA
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Volkswagen will unveil its compact 4x4, the Concept Tiguan, at the Los
Angeles Motor Show later this week and has announced that the first examples of
the new SUV will be delivered to customers by the end of next year. The first news of the Tiguan’s development came with the debut of Concept A
in Berlin earlier this year. This was followed by the naming of the model in
July, the result of a poll of more than 350,000 readers of magazines of the
AutoBild group. This latest development in Los Angeles takes the Tiguan one
step closer to production and hints strongly at how the final version could
look. Maintaining the ‘baby Touareg’ appearance of the Concept A, Concept Tiguan
makes a bold styling statement. At 4.4 metres long, 1.85 m wide and 1.69 m
high, it is very similar in size to the Touran compact MPV (4.4 m, 1.8 m,
1.6 m). Klaus Bischoff, who was responsible for the exterior design of the
car said: ‘It was very important for us to have the car appear powerful and
muscular. For us that was a higher priority than anything else. An off-roader
needs a long hood and an upright position. That lends the vehicle
self-assuredness and power.’
The Concept Tiguan’s ‘face’ and side profile are immediately recognisable as
those of a Volkswagen and yet they are different from all existing models in
the range. The dark-anodised metallic tone of the front grille contrasts with
the body colour, while a grid pattern and two dominant cross fins to the left
and right of the Volkswagen roundel complete the look. Another feature is the Concept Tiguan’s tyre design. These 19-inch
prototypes, developed by Continental, have an orange radial stripe beneath the
tyre profile which matches the car’s paint colour. This colour is not simply
painted on: it penetrates the rubber layer as a ‘baked in’ component of the
tyre’s casing. The eye-catching anthracite-coloured alloy rims are likely to
feature in the production vehicle. At the rear, the lights are integrated into the shoulder section similar to
those on the Eos and Passat, while the steeply sloping tailgate extends right
down to the bumpers, giving the Tiguan an unmistakably SUV design. Inside the Concept Tiguan, the black, silver and orange colour theme
continues. The vintage style black leather seats are trimmed with an orange
pattern which mirrors that of the tyre tread. A panoramic sunroof adds light
to the spacious interior which can seat up to five occupants, while to add
versatility, the rear bench seat can slide fore and aft and be folded down to
increase loadspace.
Under the bonnet, the concept car features a completely new type of diesel
engine, called BLUETEC. Developed in partnership with Audi and Mercedes-Benz and
presented for the first time at the LA show, BLUETEC employs a modular concept
of different systems to reduce emissions significantly. One of these systems is
the NOx storage catalytic converter which cuts nitrogen oxides by up to 90 per
cent over current diesel units. This ‘Clean TDI’ will comply with the strictest
emissions standards in the world and is one of the first components of the
BLUETEC offensive. More details on the Tiguan will be revealed in the first quarter of 2007.
The car is expected in Australia in 2008. |
ABN 47106248033 |
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