Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe concept sketches leaked ahead of Shanghai
Thu, 18 Apr 2013
A handful of sketches of the Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe concept have leaked onto the web ahead of its official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this week. The sketches show a small crossover from the German brand that could likely rival the Mercedes-Benz GLA that was also revealed this week. The leakage comes courtesy of German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, and follows in the footsteps of the larger, three-row CrossBlue concept that debuted in Detroit earlier this year.
The Coupe, however, will likely ditch the CrossBlue's third row of seats, and if the larger Volkswagen concept is supposed to hint at the next-generation Touareg, perhaps this smaller, swoopier concept is our first look at the smaller Tiguan successor. All we know is that it's based on Volkswagen's flexible MQB small car architecture, and a lot of its elements could work its way across the VW lineup in the future.
Under the hood is reported to be a turbocharged V6 paired with two electric motors, good for a combined output of 409 horsepower. The CrossBlue Coupe concept can apparently sprint to 62 miles per hour in just 5.9 seconds, has an all-electric range of about 20 miles, and will reportedly achieve 78 miles per gallon in the US. Impressive.
We'll have more details on the CrossBlue Coupe concept later this week, so stay tuned for all the official goods, as well as live impressions direct from Shanghai.
By Steven J. Ewing