VW Tiguan production version set to be unveiled online in June

Car-manufactures seem to have received the message; people –slash- buyers are actually using the web to get informed! Wow, now that’s something to brag about isn’t it… Following Fiat’s online debut of the 500, VW continues the online-party announcing that it’ll make the world premier of its Tiguan compact-SUV on an internet microsite in June. That means 3-months before its official public-debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and 8-months before sales commence worldwide (February 2008). All you have to do is register at www.volkswagen.de/tiguan if you’re in Germany, www.volkswagen.co.uk/tiguan if you’re in the UK etc. I don’t know why, but I have a hunch that we’re going to see the production version of the Tiguan quite earlier… –Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see the official press release

PRESS RELEASE: Eight months before its launch, the Volkswagen Tiguan can already be experienced virtually

Interactively step by step from a concept car to a production vehicle

Wolfsburg, 20 March 2007 - A website featuring high-quality animations, real driving scenes and exclusive download features puts Volkswagen’s new offroad vehicle on computer screens in almost 50 countries eight months ahead of its launch.

At www.volkswagen.de/tiguan (www.volkswagen.co.uk/tiguan etc.) potential customers can follow the development of the Tiguan in five layers from show car to production vehicle at the so-called Tiguan Base – a virtual building. Users can get to know the Tiguan world and move around it interactively. As the launch of the Touareg’s little brother approaches, more and more information about the real production vehicle will be revealed and the website content will become increasingly spectacular.

One special highlight will come in June, three months before the official world premiere of the Tiguan at the Frankfurt Motor Show, when the production model is revealed exclusively to Tiguan Base users. Then you will be able to go on a virtual test drive with your own configuration of the sports utility vehicle (SUV).

Layer one has already been added: In a 3D animation, you get a 360-degree view of the show car from the L.A. Motor Show and can take a close look at the vehicle details. One special feature in this phase is the interactive e-card: The show car can be placed against your own background allowing, for example, you to add it to a picture of your house.

An information service will keep you updated via e-mail and inform you about the most important content. Also, when you are out, you won’t lose touch with the Tiguan. You can download information on the car using your mobile phone via a WAP portal.

This extensive Tiguan website can be used in almost 50 countries in the local language. You can reach the Tiguan Base via your country’s Volkswagen website. Users in each participating country will be entered in a draw to win an exclusive trip to the world premiere of the Tiguan at the Frankfurt Motor Show. 65,000 people have already registered on the Tiguan Base.

From the very start, Volkswagen wanted to get potential customers involved with the Tiguan. Readers of AutoBild magazine were asked to think up a name and came up with the invented name that is formed from tiger and iguana. Over 350,000 readers from all over Europe took part in this campaign alone.

Technorati : VW+Tiguan, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

2008 Volkswagen Tiguan Video

Undoubtedly, the most significant debut at this year’s LA Auto Show, the Tiguan Concept is just one-step away from production. Based on the Golf V / Rabbit platform, VW’s answer to the Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V will officially make its premiere as a production model in September 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Till then, take a few minutes off and enjoy this 4 min long video that we've taken the courtesy to dress with Manu Chao’s 1998 “King of the Bongo” song.

Technorati: Volkswagen+Tiguan, VW+Golf, Youtube, LA+Auto+Show, Los+Angeles, Video, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, images, pictures, Carscoo

LA Show Exclusive: Volkswagen Tiguan Concept

Hold onto your butts because here’s VW’s first ever compact SUV. The Tiguan, which will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a couple of days, puts VW right up against the heavyweight players of the category like Toyota’s RAV4 and Honda’s CR-V.

Don’t let the word Concept fool you, as with the exception of a few details like the bi-coloured tires, what you is what you will get when the car goes into production in the 3rd quarter of 2007. Although we admit that we were waiting for something more extravagant –don’t blame us, blame VW and its 2006 Concept A prototype… the Tiguan looks quite good, and it could be easily be characterized as a, “baby Touareg”.

Moving to the interior, for those of you living in Europe, yes you’re right: the Tiguan uses Golf Plus’s (MPV version of the Golf / Rabbit) dashboard! That’s no coincidence as the Tiguan is actually based on the Golf Plus platform which in its turn is based on the Golf/Rabbit/ Touran platform.

Based on previous information I gathered talking with VW people, the Tiguan uses Golf’s simple 4wheel drive system, dubbed 4MOTION. Despite the fact that the prototype is fitted with a TDI engine, the production version is expected to use VW’s wide range of petrol and diesel motors, including the Golf GTI’s 200Hp 2.0 TFSI. In Europe, the Tiguan will most possibly be offered with the new generation 1.4 TSI engine available in 140 and 170Hp versions.

So when is the Tiguan due to go on sale? Sources say it will be available in Germany right after its Frankfurt Motor Show presentation in September 2007 with other European countries following till the end of 2007 - beginning of 2008. As for the US, the most probable launching date is the first quarter of 2008.

Related Article: 2008 VW Tiguan Video

Technorati: Volkswagen+Tiguan, Concept, Volkswagen+Golf, Los+Angeles, LA+Auto+Show, 2006, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, images, pictures, Carscoop

Official: Volkswagen's new compact SUV named Tiguan

VW's forthcoming compact SUV that will be based on the mid-sized Golf has been christened Tiguan… As strange as it sounds, I think we should be happy with it considering the fact that it was chosen over these four names: Nanuk, Namib, Rockton and Samun...

Noticeably, Volkswagen followed a different path than usual, allowing the "baptism" to be made by 350.000 readers of AutoBild magazine (in 10 countries) and not by marketers.

As fot the car, Touareg's "little" SUV brother will be heavily based on the Concept A that we saw earlier this year (click picture bellow). According to VW officials, it will be manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany and it will go on sale in early 2008.

Technorati Tags: Volkswagen+Tiguan, SUV, Golf, Touareg, 4x4, autos, auto+news, automobile, cars, automotive, press+release, images, pictures