The Volkswagen Taigo is a
subcompact crossover SUV
Subcompact crossover SUV is an automobile segment used to describe the smallest segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, below the compact crossover SUV. Subcompact crossover SUVs are usually based on a platform of a subcompact ...
(
B-segment
The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...
) with a sloping roofline manufactured by the German automaker
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
. The vehicle was first released as the Volkswagen Nivus, which was unveiled in May 2020 in Brazil.
It has been launched in other South American markets in 2021, and was released in Europe in July 2021 as the Taigo. It is positioned alongside the
T-Cross in the European market, and below the T-Cross in South America.
Overview
Based on the
Volkswagen Group MQB A0 platform, the Taigo/Nivus is closely related with the
Mk6 Polo, sharing its side doors, windshield, roof stamping, suspension setup and most interior parts for efficiency and cost-cutting measures. While its fascia is completely redesigned, Volkswagen has also raised the hood which results in a taller presence and give it a more rugged look compared to the Polo. A completely new
C-column stamping and the rear parts of the car allows for a larger trunk space, from 300 litres in the Polo to 415 litres. As the result, unlike other subcompact crossovers in the market, the Taigo/Nivus has a low-roof proportion that allows it to be marketed as a "
coupe crossover" alternative to the tall-proportioned T-Cross. All-wheel drive is not available in any markets, as the MQB A0 platform did not support it.
The Taigo/Nivus is the first Volkswagen model developed in Brazil that is produced and sold in the European market. While the Nivus built in Brazil will be exported to markets in Latin America, the crossover went on production in the second half of 2021 in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
, Spain as the Taigo.
According to
Volkswagen do Brasil
Volkswagen do Brasil Ltda. is a subsidiary arm of Volkswagen Group, established in 1953 with local assembly of the Volkswagen Type 1 from parts imported from Germany. It produced over 20 million vehicles in Brazil, having been market leader for th ...
, about 30 people from the Spanish team were involved in the Taigo/Nivus project and some of them visited the facilities in Brazil to learn about the development vehicle before European production begins. Volkswagen claimed Taigo/Nivus was developed without any physical prototype needed, with designers and engineers using virtual reality and augmented reality instead. As a result, project time was reduced by 10 months with significant cost savings.
Taigo
The Taigo was released for the European market on 28 July 2021, a year after the debut of the Nivus. Manufactured at the Pamplona plant in Spain alongside the Polo and T-Cross, its design has largely carried over from the South American Nivus with several minor changes. An R-Line variant is available as the flagship model. VW stated that it is the "first SUV coupe to be launched in the (European) small car segment". The sleek roofline comes at the expense of boot space as the Taigo has a capacity of 438 litres, compared to 455 litres for the European T-Cross.
Available exclusively with front-wheel drive, two petrol engine options are at launch, including a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder TSI delivering or , and a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at . The unit is paired to a standard 5-speed manual, with the engine offering a choice of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG dual clutch transmission.
File:2022 Volkswagen Taigo Style TSI S-A 1.0 Rear.jpg, Rear view
File:2021 Volkswagen Taigo R-Line TSi.jpg, 2021 Volkswagen Taigo R-Line
File:Volkswagen Taigo Auto Zuerich 2021 IMG 0215.jpg, Interior
Nivus
Debuted on 28 May 2020 in Brazil, the Nivus is the second vehicle by VW to occupy the segment after the T-Cross. It is built at the Anchieta plant in
São Bernardo do Campo
São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo.
It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of .
History
The city was founded b ...
, Brazil alongside the Polo and
Virtus
''Virtus'' () was a specific virtue in Ancient Rome. It carries connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths (from Latin ''vir'', "man"). It was thus a frequently stated virtue o ...
, with all three models sharing the MQB A0 platform. The Nivus is powered by a 1.0-liter TSI turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine rated at . Badged 200 TSI, the unit runs also on ethanol, in which case it makes .
The engine is hooked to a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.
In the interior, the Nivus shared the same dashboard with the European Polo, with minimal differences, making it to look slightly different from the Latin American Polo. The infotainment system featured VW Play, which is a multimedia interface fully developed in Brazil.
The Nivus was released in Mexico in December 2021, being imported from Brazil.
File:2021 Volkswagen Nivus Highline front view (Colombia) 02.png, 2021 Volkswagen Nivus Highline (Colombia)
File:2021 Volkswagen Nivus 200 TSi Comfortline (Chile) rear view.jpg, 2021 Volkswagen Nivus Comfortline (Chile)
File:Volkswagen Nivus Highline (Brazil) interior.png, Interior
Powertrain
Sales
Safety
Rear
disc brakes
A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...
are optional in the Nivus.
Latin NCAP
The Latin American Nivus with 6 airbags, airbag switch, UN127,
ESC,
ISA, full
SBR and optional
collision avoidance system
A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...
received 5 stars from
Latin NCAP
The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the ...
in 2022 under its new protocol (similar to
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
2014).
Euro NCAP
The Taigo was tested by
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
in 2022 as a partner model to the
Polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
and achieved the maximum five-star safety rating.
References
External links
Official website(Brazil)
{{Volkswagen (South America) timeline 1980 to date
Nivus
Cars introduced in 2020
Mini sport utility vehicles
Crossover sport utility vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Euro NCAP small off-road
Cars of Brazil