VW Cross Coupe at 2012 Geneva motor show

This is the new Volkswagen Cross Coupe, which will be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show...

Yes, but not in red. Or more importantly, not with a plug-in hybrid TDI powertrain. Volkswagen unveiled the first Cross Coupe at the 2011 Tokyo motor last autumn with a plug-in electric-petrol powertrain; now it sports a TDI system, continuing a preview of VW’s first plug-in hybrid set-up.

The Cross Coupe shown in Tokyo featured two electric motors (one front, one rear) and a direct-injection and turbocharged (TSI) petrol engine. This new Cross Coupe has a similar set-up, only with a direct-injection and turbocharged (TDI) diesel engine. Thanks to its ability to run on purely electric power during the NEDC fuel consumption test, this TDI-powered Cross Coupe will apparently return 157mpg and emit just 46g/km CO2. Impressive, but almost impossible to achieve in the real world, as this is a 302bhp and 1858kg SUV with a 138mph top speed.

That 302bhp power figure is the total system output, the TDI engine aided by the twin electric motors. VW hasn't released any more figures on the specific outputs of the engine and two motors, but the Cross Coupe is four-wheel drive, and the rear wheels aren’t driven by the TDI engine, but the rear-mounted electric motor. When the rear axle is being driven by the rear electric motor, it’s powered by the other, nose-mounted electric motor, acting as a generator fuelled by the TDI engine. Thanks to the flow of electrical engine front-to-rear, there’s no need for a conventional driveshaft, so the lithium-ion batteries sit in that space instead.

The rest of the Cross Coupe is predominantly unchanged, bar the switch from silver to red paint of course. That means an angular SUV that previews how a more sporting version of VW’s next-gen Tiguan could look – think of this four-seat 4x4 as an X6-style version of Volkswagen’s compact faux off-roader. At 4345mm long the Cross Coupe is longer than a Golf but shorter than a Tiguan, while the width (1868mm) and height (1523mm) also put it between the aforementioned VW pair.

Underneath the red skin the Cross Coupe is based on Volkswagen’s new modular transverse matrix (MQB) and its grey Tokyo sibling was the first model to be publically shown that was underpinned by the company’s clever new flexible architecture. 

By Ben Pulman