Volkswagen Tiguan 2009 News

6149 vehicles have been recalled including the Mazda RX-8 and new Volkswagen Tiguan.

US owners of VW cars with diesel engines that can cheat emissions tests have already been given $500, but local owners still have no compensation.

Three weeks after the global scandal broke, Australian owners of VW diesel cars finally know if their car is affected or not.

There are now more than 11 million Volkswagen diesel cars -- and possibly 50,000 in Australia -- caught up in the software cheat that secretly tricked emissions testing equipment.

The German carmaker and its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp chose last week's Guangzhou motor show to unveil a freshened Tiguan, complete with Chinese language badging.The changes are minor, but front of the baby VW off-roader gets a new grille and bumper that brings it into line with the Polo and Golf and just-upgraded Caravelle range in Europe.  However, don't expect the facelift to make it into other markets, including Australia.VW Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, says at this stage the facelift is for the China-only Tiguan.  The car has only been on sale here for the past 18 months and is still relatively young in the local market, he says.  "We won't see anything for another year or so," Gehling says.Although details are scarce, the Chinese Tiguan is expected to carry over the same petrol and turbo-diesel four cylinder engines and Haldex all-wheel drive system.  However, a six speed DSG gearbox is expected to replace the six-speed automatic.Inside the cabin gets the Golf's new three-spoke steering wheel and white dials, while the switchgear for the heating and ventilation has also been upgraded.  Reports out of Europe also suggest VW is also working on a longer seven-seater Tiguan to join the lineup in 2011.However, Gehling says this remains speculation."I've heard it but nothing has been confirmed," he says.  Nor is VW Australia likely to follow other carmakers by introducing a front-wheel drive version of its off-roader.Gehling says there would be little price advantage over the all-wheel drive version.  The Tiguan has been on sale locally for about 18 months and has been a solid contributor.   Initial supplies were restricted because of the car's popularity overseas but almost 4000 have been sold this year.Year-to-date VW sales are down 3 per cent against and overall market drop of 12 per cent.  China remains one of VW brightest markets.Over the next three years, the VW Group China will launch 20 new models there.This year VW's China sales have grown by 37 per cent this year to more than 1 million cars, exceeding last year's total sales figure.  The Chinese auto market is set to exceed 13 million sales this year, eclipsing America for the first time.

This Volkswagen Tiguan shows how a go-faster R version might look — if it it gets a go-ahead alongside the R32 Golf, R36 Passat and R50 Touareg.Volkswagen says there is no plan at present for a full-scale Tiguan R but that has not stopped a body upgrade on the compact SUV.The R Line model has just gone on sale in Europe with a deep front air dam, fatter wheelarches, 19-inch alloy wheels, sill extensions and a small roof spoiler.But it will not be coming to Australia. And it does not point to an imminent R-style tweak for the Tiguan."Unfortunately, we have to take away some of the excitement," says Karl Gehling."It's just the Volkswagen Individual exterior modifications. It's not like the R range of vehicles."We're not offering the R-Line. It is only a cosmetic upgrade, not a performance upgrade."

Its latest bonny baby, the compact four-wheel-drive GLK, is heading our way.But when the pre-shrunk version of the M-Class gets here, probably late in 2010, it will be missing one vital ingredient - all-wheel drive.Benz has confirmed the Daimler-developed GLK compact will initially be sold here as a rear-wheel drive.An all-wheel-drive version won't hit our market until the second-generation model, now under development, is released. It is also tipped to feature a hybrid diesel/electric power train.By then Benz will have sorted out an oversight in the GLK's design.The right-hand-drive versions can't be fitted with all-wheel traction because there is no room for the system without making costly engineering changes.The GLK wasn't on the radar for Australia because it was designed for left-hand-drive markets.That left Benz without a contender in the booming Australian SUV market to fight BMW's X3, Audi's Q5, VW's Tiguan and the Volvo XC60.Now it appears Benz has had a change of heart after reviewing a business case study put up by Britain and Australia. When it does arrive, there will be a choice of 3.5-litre V6 petrol or a 2.2-litre diesel with 400Nm of torque on tap.Meanwhile, Australians are being denied one of the more potent models in the Benz coupe line-up - the 4Matic version of the stunning C-Class CL500.It's the first time the all-wheel-drive system has been fitted to a luxury coupe and would have fitted the Australian market well, but it is also not made in right-hand drive.The lightweight 4Matic system splits drive between front and rear wheels through a planetary gear centre differential, which also has a twin-plate clutch to allow some variance in torque between axles.