First seen at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, the Volkswagen CrossBlue SUV Concept may very well represent the future of the German automaker’s SUV lineup. However, Volkswagen group showed their continued commitment to contemporary design when the above sketches of the CrossBlue Concept Coupe were leaked today, two days before the April 20 start of the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.
Upon its release, the CrossBlue Coupe is slated to compete with the likes of the already-established Range Rover Evoque and the just-announced Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X4. Though entering a crowded segment where style and fuel-efficiency are king, the CrossBlue Coupe certainly satisfies both criteria: its streamlined, very Audi-esque design screams trendiness, while the German magazine AMS predicts a fuel economy rating of over 78 MPG, some pretty unbelievable numbers.
This efficiency comes at virtually no cost to performance, however. As much of the auto industry has done recently, VW will reportedly use a combination gasoline/electric powerplant to make a total of 409 horsepower from a turbo V6 and two electric motors. The CrossBlue Coupe will see a 0-62 mph sprint time of under six seconds, but, most importantly, will be able to sustain an all-electric mode for around 20 miles, according to Audi Motorsport.
Like the CrossBlue Concept SUV already debuted this year at Detroit, this CrossBlue Coupe will use the same MQB chassis already used on the next Audi A3 and its sister, the 2015 VW Golf. However, due to its larger emphasis on sport, expect the Coupe to lose the third-row seating that made its appearance on the SUV.
It’s very likely that this new CrossBlue Coupe Concept will be the successor to the popular Tiguan, so this release is an important one for VW group.
Stay tuned this week as TFLcar.com stays up-to-date with all the new releases in Shanghai, and please check out this TFLcar insider video of the CrossBlue SUV debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show:
