VW Taigo Teased As Nivus For The European Market

There’s no such thing as too many crossovers - this is probably Volkswagen’s motto behind its current model strategy. In Europe alone, the Wolfsburg-based automaker has no fewer than seven crossovers if we count the ID.4, T-Roc, T-Roc Carbiolet, T-Cross, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, and Touareg. Apparently, the manufacturer is not done with its SUV expansion as it has just teased the new Taigo crossover for the Old continent.

If the depicted high-riding small utility from the gallery below looks familiar to you, you are not mistaken. The Taigo is essentially a slightly modified version of the Nivus crossover, which was unveiled for Brazil and Argentina almost a year ago. There are minor differences between the two and we’ll talk about them in just a second.

Volkswagen says the Taigo will be revealed in full this summer and will go on sale towards the end of the year. It will be produced in Pamplona, Spain, and will come as standard with LED headlights and TSI gasoline turbocharged engines. The word diesel is missing from the official press release and most likely, the brand’s TDI units won’t be available for the small coupe-like crossover.

Back to the changes between the Taigo and the Nivus, we noted the front fascia is slightly more upscale on the newer model thanks to more sophisticated headlights and what seems to be a LED strip connecting the lighting clusters. The front bumper on the Euro model is also different, while the upper radiator grille has a hexagonal pattern instead of the Nivus’ somewhat flatter design.

In Brazil, the crossover is available in three trim levels, all powered by the same engine. Regardless if you go for the 200 TSI, Comfortline, or Highline grade, there is a 1.0-liter turbocharged TSI engine under the hood, good for 128 horsepower (95 kilowatts). It’s mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic gearbox, though we expect Volkswagen to offer different transmission options for Europe.