'Playful, not funky': VW reveals Taigun cabin, underlines focus on quality

Volkswagen Taigun is gearing up for an India debut and it is being touted as one of the strongest offerings from the German auto giant in a space that is hotly contested as well as massively lucrative. The showcar was first displayed at the Auto Expo back in February of 2020 and Volkswagen has now revealed the cabin of the production-ready version of Taigun, with an emphasis on its youthful appeal while looking at staying true to Volkswagen's inherent design philosophy.

When launched, Taigun will compete in a segment that is presently dominated by the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. Design, therefore, is one of several key factors that could determine its fortunes here. Its cabin highlights too could be a pivotal factor.

The cabin of the Taigun appears to have a fresh character and the car will get a 10-inch infotainment screen, all-digital instrument cluster, a fresh dashboard layout, among others. Expect the quality of materials used to be at par with other Volkswagen offerings.

A look at how the cabin of the Taigun has been designed.

Volkswagen had already showcased the exterior of Taigun previously. An elevated bonnet, a prominent VW slatted grille, LED head lights, continues rear LED lights and 17-inch alloys are some of the key design elements that VW designers say are likely to connect with prospective buyers. (Read more here)

In an online design presentation on Monday, Josef Kaban - Head of Design at Volkswagen Brand - explained that the driving force behind how the Taigun was taken from sketch to production version was to have a youthful car which is still ,unmistakably, a VW. "Taigun has a playful exterior and interior design language which helps it have a youthful appeal. We were not trying to be funky with it," Kaban stated. "For India, we realized we needed to have a longer wheelbase and a third window but overall, it is clear that the showcar and production version are nearly similar."

Kaban also explained that being a Volkswagen, Taigun prioritized quality and this is something that translated to how the exterior profile and cabin details were crafted. "People expect quality when it comes to a Volkswagen and that is also where the Taigun will impress with the quality of materials used," he said.

The Taigun SUV will be offered in two trims with the GT line trim being the top end. It will have distinctive features like GT badging on the grille, red brake callipers among others.

Taigun will be powered by 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol and a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine. The smaller TSI engine can churn out 115 PS of power and 175Nm of peak torque, while the more powerful 1.5-litre TSI unit can churn out 150 PS of power and 250Nm of peak torque. There will be three transmission options to choose from. The six-speed manual transmission will be standard in all trims. The 1.0-litre engine will also get a 6-speed torque convertor automatic, and the 1.5-litre engine will get an optional 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox.