Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE: Your First Look at the Next CC
The PHEV SCC GTE previews the next VW CC. Got that?
VW’s Sport Coupe Concept GTE, which debuts at
the Geneva auto show, is an ambitiously futuristic four-seat concept with styling that hints strongly at the next
CC sedan. In the automaker’s words, this is “a coupe with four doors and a hatchback,” which makes sense only if you’re accepting of this decade’s insistence on dismantling the definition of “coupe.” It’s also a plug-in hybrid with significantly sporty intentions and an electrically enabled all-wheel-drive setup, as well as a somewhat eerie-sounding navigation system that reads the driver’s emotions.
the Golf GTE,
the Passat GTE, and January’s
GTE SUV concept—that VW says could feasibly be spread across all vehicle classes. With a gasoline engine augmented by a pair of electric motors, the Sport Coupe Concept GTE promises impressive performance and enviable fuel-economy targets (although these latter numbers are no doubt derived from the favorable Euro test cycle for PHEVs).
A turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-liter V-6 cranks out 295 horses and a prodigious 369 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed DSG transmission, while a 54-hp electric motor is integrated into the gearbox to augment front-wheel power. A separate, 114-hp motor drives the rear axle. The electric motors are fed juice by a lithium-ion battery pack tucked into the car’s center tunnel, explaining the four-seat layout. (The previous CC launched with a four-place interior, but VW was forced to later add a rear bench.)
VW says that combined output clocks in at 374 horsepower and allows a 0-to-62-mph sprint of five seconds flat. Top speed is cited as 155 mph. An electric-only cruising range of “at least 32 miles,” a combined fuel-economy rating of a claimed 118 mpg, and a total driving range in excess of 745 miles highlight the car’s eco cred.
The hybrid drivetrain offers the usual variety of drive modes. Electric-only mode sees the gas engine decoupled from the driveline, and the car is powered solely by the rear 114-horse motor. Other modes include a default hybrid setting, battery-charge hold mode, and GTE mode, which promises top performance. Particularly nifty is the so-called “electric driveshaft” functionality of the all-wheel-drive system. With the battery pack taking up the space normally reserved for a traditional driveshaft, the transmission-bound front electric motor generates power for the rear motor, allowing AWD operation no matter the state of the battery’s charge.
its recent freshening. The Sport Coupe Concept GTE eschews the current CC’s roundish motifs for a more angular, squinty-eyed, square-shouldered aesthetic. It’s a bold and nearly production-ready design.
The nose, in particular, is courageous in ways we’re not used to seeing from Volkswagen. The broad grille’s top two bars flow into the headlights, actually becoming illuminated tubes that serve as DRLs and turn signals thanks to amber and white LEDs. The lower air intakes are framed by C-shaped LED lighting, a visual indicator of GTE plug-in-hybrid motivation. While the 21-inch wheels and 265-width tires might be more show car than production vehicle, the overall layout of the long, sweeping four-seat hatchback is what you’ll see in dealerships.
The outgoing CC was based on previous-generation European Passat underpinnings—it has little to nothing to do with
the U.S.-market Passat—and that will continue moving forward. As with the recently redesigned
Euro-market Passat, the foundation for this concept and the future CC is the VW Group’s
MQB modular transverse-engine platform, which can underpin everything from tiny city cars to three-row SUVs. The Sport Coupe Concept falls on the larger end of the spectrum with its 118.9-inch wheelbase. While the two cars are unrelated, for reference, that’s 8.5 inches more than the American Passat, even though the concept and the U.S. Passat are roughly the same length. This, as well as a low roof, gives the Sport Coupe Concept a deeply evocative low-and-wide stance with the wheels pushed out to the very corners of its footprint. VW also promises 17 cubic feet of cargo space, a stat rarely specified on concept vehicles.
Expect the next-generation CC—which will be sold here as a premium model above our Passat—to be revealed by the end of this year and go on sale sometime in 2016 as a 2017 model. Pricing will be a notch or two above that of the current CC’s $35,000-ish starting sticker. And if VW manages to make it look largely like this concept, we have a feeling there will be plenty of folks willing to pony up for what is essentially a fancy family sedan. Er, coupe.
