VW CrossBlue Coupe

The Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe concept has been officially revealed on the eve of the Shanghai Motor Show.

The new concept gives us yet another glimpse of its future SUV range, and is a development of the seven-seater CrossBlue concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January, but with a more rakish profile and space for five.

Longer, wider and lower-slung than the VW Touareg, it previews a possible production model aimed primarily at the US market.

However, elements of its innovative plug-in hybrid powertrain and sharp design will filter down directly to UK models such as the new Tiguan (due in 2014) and a replacement for the Touareg (expected in 2015).

We took a look around the CrossBlue Coupe and spoke with Klaus Bishoff, its designer, about what this car means for UK buyers: "You will see identification elements from this car on future SUVs, but the next Touareg is something completely different," he revealed.

"This and the CrossBlue are what Chinese and American customers are demanding, in Europe we prefer things more compact, but that's what's great about the MQB architecture, we can build cars specifically for customer's needs. My job has become a lot more fun."

The styling picks up where other small VW SUV concepts– such as the Cross Coupe and Taigun, shown at the 2011 Tokyo and 2012 Sao Paulo shows respectively - left off.

The front-end in particular, with LED headlights integrated seamlessly into the horizontal grille, is set to become a VW calling card, while short overhangs, angled A and C-pillars and a roof spoiler manage to create a sporty silhouette, despite the concept’s bulk. Enormous 22-inch wheels, designed specifically for this concept fill the wheel arches.

On the inside there’s space for five and a 537-litre boot that expands to 1,101-litres with the rear seats folded down. That’s a massive 541-litres less than the Touareg’s maximum capacity, despite a larger footprint on the road.

A 10.1-inch touchscreen controls all the infotainment functions, the instrument cluster is fully digital and when you press the starter button the climate control dials rise dramatically out of the dash.

Under the skin, it’s based on a stretched version of the MQB platform and features the latest plug-in hybrid powertrain - a clear indication of where larger VW hybrids are heading in the near future.

Bishoff confirmed that despite being smaller than the CrossBlue Coupe, the next-generation Touareg won’t be based on the MQB architecture: “The MQB components only allow up to six-cylinder engines under the bonnet, the next Toureg will need more cylinders than that.” 

Unlike the Golf plug-in hybrid and Audi A3 e-tron, which use a four-cylinder petrol engine, the CrossBlue Coupe uses a turbocharged 295bhp 3.0-litre V6, working in combination with two electric motors – one on each axle – for a total of 409bhp and 700Nm of torque.

That allows the 2.2-tonne SUV to sprint from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 146mph, while returning fuel economy of 94.1mpg.

Charge up the batteries (cleverly packaged along the transmission tunnel) via a 240V supply and you can travel 20 miles and up to 75mph on electric power alone, with the 270Nm rear motor doing all the work. When the batteries are running low the V6 engine kicks in to turn the front wheels and charge the cells.

A number of driving modes allow you to customise the distribution of power – ‘Eco’ chooses the most efficient setting possible and any given time, ‘Sport’ deploys the maximum power available from the engine and motors, and ‘EV’ switches to electric-only mode.

‘Charge’ disengages the electric motors and lets the petrol engine top up the batteries to use later, while ‘Off-road’ allows the engine and rear motor to work at the same time to maximise grip, while the front motor becomes a generator, supplying power to the rear.