Abu Dhabi: German automaker Volkswagen unveiled its first compact sports utility vehicle (SUV), the Tiguan, in Abu Dhabi late on Sunday at its Corniche showroom at prices that range from Dh110,000 to Dh135,000, ex-showroom.

The gasoline-driven Tiguan is powered by a 2,000cc, four-cylinder turbo engine and is available in two variants - one having 170 bhp and the other 200 bhp.

Both engines are available with an off-road version called Track and Field, while the city version is called Sport and Style.

Boriana Savatova-Ince, Volkswagen's marketing communications manager said that in the UAE, they are targeting people in the 20-35 age group. She said the model will be shipped from Germany in completely built units and the vehicles destined for Abu Dhabi will be offloaded at the Mina Zayed port, while those destined for Dubai will arrive at Mina Rashid port.

Ali & Sons Volkswagen Brand Manager, Ammar Al Johmani, the sole agent for Volkswagen in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, said that they expect to sell 300 Tiguans in the emirate from now until the end of 2008.

"This is the first time Volkswagen has entered the compact SUV segment which makes this a very special launch for us," he said, adding that Tiguan is Volkswagen's biggest launch for the region this year.