More Daring Styling For New SUVs, 2016 U.S. Passat

Faced with diminishing interest in its core Jetta and Passat models in the States, Volkswagen will push a less conservative design theme when for the US-built 2016 Passat this year, and the upcoming crossovers it has in the pipeline.

Automotive News got a look inside VW's Valhalla design studio and an interview with Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff. Key products include the revised Passat due this year, and the 2017 Tiguan built in Mexico and three-row crossover built alongside the Passat in Tennessee.

The current Passat NMS, introduced in 2011, is in the midst of a pretty steep sales slide – off 12 percent in 2014. But visible changes are coming, according to AN: 

The freshened Passat is also a substantial change from the model on sale now, with all-new sheet metal from the A-pillar forward, including a new hood, fenders, grille design and headlights. Taillights are also new.

More important, however, will be the crossovers. The still-nameless three-row is said to borrow heavily from theCross Coupe GTE concept shown in January at the Detroit Auto Show. 

Detail work such as intricate headlights that integrate structural elements that begin from the grille, and metal side vents below the A-pillars, are almost Audi-like in their execution. "This has to be bold. It has to be a statement," Bischoff said.

As for the Tiguan, expect to like it if you were a fan of the current car 2014's T-Roc Concept. 

The redesigned Tiguan on display at Valhalla retains the overall proportions of its predecessor but with updated lines, plus shorter front and longer rear overhangs. Wheel arches are rounded compared with the hard angles seen on the midsize crossover, but some themes are shared, including wraparound taillight designs and grille execution.

I've been a fan of VW's clean-cut lines when they were sharp. Lately, though, their cars are blending in a bit too much and not looking that different from their predecessors (looking at you, Golf Mk 7). But if the sharp and classy concepts are anything to go by, the company is taking the right steps to get noticed.

2016 VW Passat Renderings courtesy of RM Design

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New Volkswagen Cross Coupe SUV Concept

The German automaker says that concept is a study for a potential new CC-style SUV that "hints at how a crossover between a four-door coupé and an SUV could look like" -think small BMW X6- while also previewing an evolved form of VW's current design language.

The concept is the first VW model based on the company’s new ‘modular transverse matrix’ or MQB platform architecture to be shown to the public. The MQB chassis will be used in a number of VW Group models ranging from the next Golf to the Audi TT's successor.

At 4,345 mm (171.0-in.) long, 1,868 mm (73.5-in.) wide and 1,523 mm (59.9-in.) tall, the Cross Coupé fits exactly in between the current Golf hatchback and the Tiguan SUV in size. However, it's 2,630 mm (103.5-in.) wheelbase is 52 mm longer than the Golf and 26 mm longer than the Tiguan, which not only gives it a more dynamic appearance, but also helps improve interior space.

VW says that despite its sporty looks, the Cross Coupé is also a capable off-roader model boasting a 24.2-degree angle of approach and 32.5-degree angle of departure.

The four-seat Cross Coupé features a hybrid powertrain that links a TSI direct injection turbo petrol engine to two electric motors, one located at the front and the other at the rear, which produce 54HP (40 kW) / 180 Nm of torque and 114HP (85 kW) / 270 Nm respectively. The hybrid system's combined output is 265-horsepower allowing the crossover model to sprint to 100km/h (62 mph) in seven seconds en route to a top speed of 201km/h (125 mph).

VW says the concept can travel up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) on purely electric power.

The Cross Coupé also features an innovative all-wheel drive system with an ‘electric drive shaft’, in which the rear axle is driven by the rear electric motor. "In this situation power is supplied to the rear electric motor by the one at the front, which during this phase acts as a generator powered by the TSI engine," says Volkswagen.

The elimination of the conventional drive shaft allowed VW to place the SUV's battery package in the central tunnel thus saving space and allowing for a low center of gravity and a balanced spread of axle loading.

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