VW New Compact Coupe at Detroit motor show 2010

This is Volkswagen’s New Compact Coupé (or NCC for short), a new coupé concept car just unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. And although it’s just a show car for now, this gorgeous A5-alike two-door is expected to go into production within the next two years.

Under the bonnet is a 148bhp/177lb ft direct-injection and turbocharged 1.4-litre TSI engine, which drives the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG gearbox. But the NCC also has a 20kW electric motor (fed power by a boot-mounted lithium-ion battery) to boost acceleration or enable zero-emissions running.

Together the combo means the concept can achieve a top speed of 141mph and a 0-62mph sprint in 8.6 seconds, but also turn in figures of 67.3mpg and 98g/km. The engine is also disengaged from the transmission when the throttle isn’t depressed, so there’s regenerative braking to charge the battery, and a stop/start system.

But if eco-friendly motoring doesn’t appeal then just gawp at the shape. 'Just a few precisely placed lines and powerfully sculpted surfaces have created a timeless dynamic and purist elegance that is typical of Volkswagen,' says chief designer for the Volks­wagen brand Klaus Bischoff. Or rather they've just aped the look of Audi’s A5 Coupé.

Concept car touches include the 19-inch wheels and LED lights front and back, but the metalwork outside and the 2+2 interior treatment looks ready to roll out of a factory to our eyes.

The NCC is basically the next Jetta compact saloon in two-door coupé guise. We've already scooped the Jetta but the signs are that this two-door iteration is under evaluation as an extra niche model to fit between Scirocco and Passat CC.

VW's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee will start building a new mid-sized saloon in the next 12 months, and the Jetta and NCC versions could eventually follow suit. The Jetta and mid-sized saloon pair will be biased heavily towards the American market, hence the US factory.

By Ben Pulman