Volkswagen unveils the Cross Coupe GTE at Detroit

Volkswagen has unveiled a new five-seater midsize SUV concept car, dubbed the Cross Coupe GTE, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.  It is a plug-in hybrid with all-wheel drive, and previews Volkswagen's new U.S.A design language, combining German engineering with the American way of life.

The new car's debut at the show, which runs from 12-25 January, comes ahead of the start of production at the end of 2016 of a new seven-seater midsize SUV at Volkswagen of America's Chattanooga factory in Tennessee.

The Cross Coupe GTE is the third concept car presented by Volkswagen in the run-up to the introduction of the production version. Together, all three concept cars - the CrossBlue presented in Detroit in January 2013, the CrossBlue Coupe most recently shown in Los Angeles in November 2013 and the Cross Coupe GTE that is now being presented at the NAIAS - represent just a part of the wide spectrum of SUV variants that can be realised through the modular transverse matrix (MQB), and were developed with the aim of offering an SUV in North America in the near future that is consistently tailored to the U.S.A market.

Commenting on its appearance, Klaus Bischoff, Chief Designer at Volkswagen said, "The concept car has a commanding presence. It is powerful with a look that could almost be described as aggressive. Numerous details hint at how we envisage a future production SUV model for North America."

Powering the concept SUV is a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine in combination with two electric motors. The six-cylinder direct-injection engine (FSI) delivers 280bhp and a maximum torque of 350Nm, while the two electric motors deliver 40kW and 220Nm (front) and 85kW and 270Nm (rear). They are powered by a compact lithium-ion battery housed in the centre tunnel, with energy content of 14.1kWh.

The total output of the drive system is 360bhp, and using this full power, the Cross Coupe GTE, which has a top speed of 209 km/h, accelerates to 100km/h in just six seconds. The Cross Coupe GTE can be driven in five different power modes: E-Mode, Hybrid, GTE, Offroad and Battery Hold/Battery Charge.  

In E-Mode, activated at the press of a button, the Cross Coupe GTE can travel in zero-emission mode for up to 32km, and in this case the 85kW rear axle electric motor alone drives the vehicle, with the V6 FSI decoupled from the drivetrain by disengaging the clutch and shutting down.

The new infotainment system is controlled via a 10.1-inch touchscreen, while a 12.3-inch Active Info Display - similar to that recently previewed on the new Passat - allows extremely high-quality interactive graphic presentation of all details in the digital dashboard. The Cross Coupe GTE features sports seats at the front and a three seat bench in the rear, which can be folded 1/3 or 2/3, creating a continuous flat cargo floor.