Over the past couple of years, Volkswagen has trotted out an increasing number of concept cars bearing plugs, electric motors, and fancy names like GTE and CrossBlue. Once far-fetched pipe dreams, these concepts have come closer and closer to resembling something of a production reality, and the Volkswagen C Coupé GTE concept revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show stands the best chance at being more than just a concept.
The front-wheel drive C Coupé pairs a 208 horsepower TSI gasoline turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 122 horsepower electric motor for a combined output of 240 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for a 0 to 100 KPH/60 MPH sprint of 8.6 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 232 KPH/144 MPH, with an electric driving range of up to 31 miles. With a full tank of petrol and a fully-charged battery, Volkswagen claims a total driving range of more than 1,100 km/684 miles, helped by an eight-speed automatic transmission using an integrated electric motor.
In other words, nothing too radical as far as the drivetrain go. Aesthetically speaking, the C Coupé points the way towards VW’s next-gen large-car design language…and I look the way it sounds. Previous concepts like the Cross Coupe GTE and production cars like the Golf GTE indicate that Volkswagen is finally taking plug-in cars as seriously as they should be, and the C Coupé is the best-looking of the bunch yet. Drivers can choose between five different operating modes “Hybrid”, “E-Mode”, “GTE” and “Battery Charge/Battery Hold”.
All-in-all, this sounds like a more thought-out concept than your typical auto show fare, and I think it stands a good chance of making it into production in some way, shape, or form.
Here’s hoping the Volkswagen C Coupé ends up as more than just a pretty concept.
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