1990 Kawasaki Ts 650 Jet Ski. Choke Control 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.

Lexus IS F ends production to make way for the new Lexus RC F

The Lexus IS F is no more The Lexus IS F was the car Lexus hoped would take the fight to cars like the BMW M3. But in the 7 years the IS F has been on sale it’s only managed to shift around 11,000 units, partly because it just didn’t have the dynamics or power of the M3, but also because few yet consider Lexus a ‘Performance’ brand. So the Lexus IS F has now ended production after a less than stellar sales showing, and Lexus are instead pinning their hopes for a credible M3 beater in the new RC F.

Mazda MX-5 and Mazda2 Sport Black Editions launch

Mazda2 Black & Mazda MX-5 Sport Black As we know, ‘Limited Editions’ are a way for car makers to shift some extra metal in quiet times. In this case it’s Mazda looking for a way to move the MX-5 and the Mazda2. Roll out the Mazda MX-5 Sport Black and – you’ve guessed – the Mazda2 Black Editions.