VW Cross Coupe GTE concept: a new design for tomorrow's SUV
At CES 2015, Volkswagen revealed its fancy Golf R Touch interface for future smart cars. Now at the Detroit Auto Show 2015, it will be showing off something less hi-tech but still forward-looking. The five-seater Cross Coupe GTE concept SUV, its latest plug-in hybrid, will be showcasing new features, new technologies, and new designs that the car maker will be putting into a more imminent model, a seven-seater mid-size SUV that it plans to reveal to the world near the end of 2016.
Volkswagen calls the Cross Coupe GTE as a marriage between German design and American lifestyle. In practice, this means a car that is designed with a clean, powerful look, spacious interiors, and high performance. But even in design, VW is taking a rather bold new step in a different direction, one that it plans to take its upcoming SUVs in the near future. The GTE car sports a Grand Pacific Glacier Blue paint and measures 190.8 inches long, 79.9 inches wide, and 68.3 inches high. But more than just the compact size, the Cross Coupte GTE's strong lines and sharp cuts give it one of the most aggressive appearances in Volkswagen's SUV line. The precise edges of the hood, the two aluminum bars of the radiator grille, and the trapezoid LED tailights, give off an image that reflects VW's new obsession for horizontal lines.
That horizontal theme carries over from the outside into the internal design of the coupe. Of particular interest will be the dashboard and the instrumentation screen that not only speak of that design but also of some of the fruits of Volkswagen's R&D into infotainment technology. The information and control level resembles a wing, with two air vents on opposite outer ends of the level. The 10.1-inch touchscreen in the center is also flanked by such air vents. A brushed aluminum strip runs horizontally across the whole width of the level, again betraying that horizontal fascination.
In terms of technology, the control center features proximity sensors and gesture controls so that drivers can easily and safely reach out and swipe playlists, for example, even at some distance. The 12.3-inch instrumentation screen may look traditional but is in fact all digital and change depending on the driving mode of the GTE. Below the 10.1-inch touchscreen is another touchscreen that is used for climate control, including heating and cooling seats.
The need for speed is delivered by a plug-in hybrid, comprised of a 3.6-liter six-cylinder direct-injection VR6 gasoline engine delivering 276 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. This is paired with two electric motors, one producing 54 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque while the other has 114 hp and a 199 lb-ft torque. All in all, the drive system yields 355 hp and 280 lb-ft and can go from zero to 60 mph in just 6 seconds. The concept SUV offers a variety of driving profiles and driving modes that not only change the car's settings but also the display on the instrumentation screen. There are modes like E-mode for fully utilizing its EV properties up to 20 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in, or Hybrid, the Cross Coupe GTE's default balanced mode, and GTE for a more dynamic and sportier setting.
The Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE will be on display at the Detroit Auto Show 2015. Like the CrossBlue and CrossBlue Coupe concepts before it, the design and features of this concept car will go towards the design and development of the car maker's upcoming seven-seater SUV, to be built its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee.
SOURCE: Volkwagen