The Tokyo Motor Show is well underway and Volkswagen has just taken the wraps off a new concept it calls the Cross Coupé. The concept previews what a compact hybrid crossover can be when combined with style, perfroamnce, efficiency, according to Volkswagen.
Designed by Walter de Silva and Klaus Bischoff, the design is quite stunning. With the wheels pushed to the corners, the Cross Coupé has very short overhangs. Measuring in at 171.1 inches long, the concept is shorter than a current VW Tiguan, but longer than a Golf. Its dimensions place the crossover squarely in the sights of the upcoming Ford Fiesta-based crossover and the Chevrolet Sonic-based crossover.
The long hood and canted rear profile give the Cross Coupé an aggressive stance. Volkswagen calls the character line at the sills a "tornado" line; it's a cue common with Audis and helps the Cross Coupe look pretty butch, not a bad thing in a sea of boring crossovers.
Up front the headlights are connected by the grille in a unique way. Using the chrome strips for more than decoration, the bottom strip houses the daytime running lights while the top strip incorporates the turn signals.
Inside the Cross Coupé, there's a programmable instruemnt cluster which is connected to the driving mode selector. The gauges will display various information correlating to which drive mode is selected: off-road, sport, or city.
The concept is a four-seater featuring with integrated headrests. Adding versatility, both the back seats and front passenger seat can be folded flat to increase cargo capacity. While subcompact trunk space is only 13.4 cubic feet, cargo capacity increases to 43.4 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded.
Powering the Cross Coupé is a hybrid drivetrain consisting of three power sources. Powering the front wheels is a 148-horsepower turbocharged engine producing 144 pound-feet of torque connected to an electric motor producing 54 horsepower (40 kilowatts) and 133 pound-feet of torque. Mounted to the rear axle is another electric motor which is activated when driving in electric-only mode or when all-wheel drive is needed. The rear electric motor is rated at 114 horsepower (85 kilowatts) and 199 pound-feet of torque. All combined, all three motors produce 262 horsepower (195 kilowatts).
The battery for the two electric motors resides where the driveshaft would normally be. According to VW, this provides a low center of gravity and better balance, helping the Cross Coupé achieve the handling of a coupe with the functionality of an SUV.
The overall design for the Cross Coupé previews the future of Volkswagen SUVs, while the powertrain previews where Volkswagen may be headed with future crossovers.

 

That could easily be my next DD.

 

Agreed!

 

agreed, that thing is nice looking.. i love the direction VW is headed.

 

wow .. let's see if it ever becomes a US reality

 

great looking SUV.... err i mean coupe

 

Just imagine the electrics go wrong..... Dealers are going to have a field day in the repair department... Basically for me, too many electric gizmo's that can and will go wrong. I pass....

 

hm...competing against LR evoque? interesting.

 

wow, that is a really good looking....whatever it is. i hope it makes it to production with some form of hybrid drivetrain, the current vw lineup while selling well, is horribly boring from a driving perspective. they took the good stuff right out of the passat and jetta..

 

Funny as I was expecting (hoping!) for a two-door. Sort VW's interpretation of the Defender 90. The concept is surely pretty and very Audi-esque, but hardly distinct. Wish VW would stop playing it safe and push the envelope a bit more with their designs.

 

I like it. Pair it with the 2.0t, with a sporty version having the 260hp mil + DSG from the Golf R, and offer it in 3/5 door configs like the Evoque and you've got my attention.

My only hope is that they'd tone down the squashedness of it a bit in production form.

I wish VW would realize that they don't need to be so conservative with things. the 200hp 2.0t in the Tiguan is adequate, but that's it. If they stuffed the VR6 or a higher output version of the 2.0t and a DSG in it for a Tiguan R they could have a really amazing machine for those who want something sporty and entertaining, but don't want to go crazy with it. And then they'd have something with the same kind of power output as the Kia Sportage SX.

 

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/audi-...#photo-4729540

Audi had the Q3 at the NAIAS, hard not to see the resemblances. Good news is, the Q3 will be coming to the US. With any luck, it'll sport the 5 banger turbo engine too.

 

Looks really nice IMO.

 

Ya the body, but that VW interior is really slick, idc about all the high tech stuff mostly just the 2+2 design with Those seats would be sweet.