Volkswagen will call its new compact SUV the Tiguan. Not only the vehicle, but also the decision on the name is a brave journey into new terrain: the name was chosen by the readers of the AutoBild group. More than 350,000 votes were made from ten countries. The clear winner was Tiguan. The Touareg's little brother is to be produced in Wolfsburg and will be launched in 2008.

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, the chairman of the board of management for the Volkswagen brand said, "This unique event is demonstrative of how Volkswagen is opening up: we made a clear appeal to the market - potential buyers could help choose the name Tiguan. The positive reaction shows that this is the right approach."

The name Tiguan was developed by Volkswagen Marketing along with four other alternatives Nanuk, Namib, Rockton and Samun. The readers of the AutoBild group selected their favourite from these five potential names. The response was astonishing: more than 350,000 readers voted. A clear majority voted for Tiguan.

The Tiguan represents the transfer of the globally successful Touareg philosophy to the class of the compact SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), a segment which has grown considerably in the last few years. Travel, adventure and excitement are associated with the exotic sounding name. That suits the bill perfectly: thanks to its concept based on driving dynamics and high comfort levels, the Tiguan is suited to urban environments as well as rough terrain far from normal roads and thus provides the driver with absolute freedom. A first glimpse of the new Volkswagen SUV was provided by the off-road design study Concept A at the beginning of 2006.