Volkswagen Passat Throttle Body 2.8l 02 03 on 2040-parts.com

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.

First U.S. Audi TT RS delivered in Fort Worth

Ex Grand-Am driver Don Istook from Fort Worth, Texas, is the lucky customer who took delivery of the first Audi TT RS model on U.S. shores since the 2008 Audi RS4. Istook was one of the 11,500 fans who signed the petition to bring the TT RS here, so it's only fitting that he gets one of the early copies.

Unbelievable SSC Ultimate Aero EV

Prius was an easy way out for celebs who didn’t want their ‘Public’ to think them flash Jacks, but they always had a Cayenne Turbo or a Lamborghini LP640 tucked away in the garage. But the rise of cars like the Tesla, despite its drawbacks, has pushed the maker of the world’s fastest production car, the Ultimate Aero SSC, to look at ways to keep their clientèle happy in these changing times. SSC must feel there is a danger their market may disappear if truly powerful and appealing cars appear that are perceived as green and start to take over the marketplace.