GENEVA -- Volkswagen signaled that the Sport Coupe Concept GTE will likely become a production model.
The concept provides a view of VW brand's new design language and is positioned above the Passat-based CC, the automaker said in a statement.
The car would help boost the VW brand’s image and attract customers from coupe-styled sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Company insiders said an upscale coupe-styled sedan sitting above the Passat would help VW to be viewed as an “innovative volume brand.”
The concept was unveiled at a VW event here on Monday ahead of press days at the Geneva auto show beginning Tuesday.
“The Sport Coupe Concept GTE is another milestone of expressive design,” VW brand design chief Klaus Bischoff said in a statement.
VW r&d boss Heinz-Jakob Neusser said the concept’s design embodies an alternative to traditional sedan segments by combining the functionality of a large hatchback with the interior space of a sedan.
The Sport Coupe Concept GTE is based on VW’s modular transverse matrix platform architecture, also known as “MQB.” The concept’s exterior dimensions are similar in size to the Mercedes CLS and the BMW 6-series Gran Coupe.
The concept’s plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 with a 54 hp electric motor driving the front wheels and a 114 hp electric motor at the rear to create 374 total-system horsepower.
Features
The concept’s interior features a prototype 3-D digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch display and gauges that appear to hover. The center stack is topped with a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, flanked by touch-sensitive slide controls for the car’s climate control system.
Passengers in the back seat can control the infotainment system to browse through music files, operate the navigation and make calls via another 12.3-inch touchscreen mounted flat between the two rear seats. Images are also displayed for rear-seat passengers through touchscreens mounded on the backs of the two front seats.
The concept can also select navigation routes to fit the mood of the driver by reading “biometric data” of the driver’s vital functions taken from a smart watch or similar device.
The car would fill a gap in VW’s lineup between the Passat midsize sedan and the brand’s Phaeton flagship. A production model based on the concept would start at about 50,000 euros ($55,900), 22,000 euros below the German price of the Phaeton. The Passat starts at 26,075 euros (about $29,200) in Germany. The CC costs 33,700 euros (about $37,700).
