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VW Taigun Compact SUV heading for production

It was a good-looking and appealing effort from VW to tap in to the very compact SUV market, with a real family look (a Tiguan on a boil wash), peppy little 3-cylinder 1.0 litre engine delivering 108bhp and a 0-62mph of 9.2 seconds (with 60mpg economy) and enough room to carry stuff and people thanks to an extra 50mm in the wheelbase compared to the Up! Now it looks like the Taigun is heading for production after VW’s Chief designer, Klaus Bishoff, told Autoexpress that he deeply believed the Taigun would be heading for VW showrooms very soon, and could be sold in the UK and Europe as well as in emerging markets. So you can add the Taigun to the list of VW’s SUV offerings, and with new versions of the Tiguan and Touareg (perhaps based on the CrossBlue Concept) and a Polo based SUV on the way too, it looks like VW are covering all the bases.

Mazda 3 saloon unveiled at LA Auto Show

By Ben Pulman Motor Shows 19 November 2008 17:00 Mazda has officially unveiled its new 3 four-door saloon at the LA Auto Show today, revealing the car in full and releasing more technical details. A five-door hatchback (favoured in Europe) will be shown at the Bologna motor show in December 2008, and form the basis of a hot MPS model. The current 3 is Mazda’s best-selling vehicle, accounting for one third of the Japanese manufacturer’s sales (and a total of 1.8 million units over the past five years).

Cadillac, Lexus score high in satisfaction survey

Cadillac buyers are the most satisfied with their choice of vehicle brand, owners of the Cadillac Escalade are the happiest among truck buyers, and buyers of the Lexus LS sedan are the happiest car owners, according to the latest satisfaction survey from consulting firm AutoPacific. Also, a growing number of Hyundai buyers are satisfied with their choice, making the Korean brand the fastest-rising in AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Awards rankings. The rankings are based on responses to surveys sent to 25,000 new-vehicle buyers three months after they take delivery.