Volkswagen has revealed its new SUV concept known as the Cross Blue in Detroit during the North American Auto Show. The SUV has been developed mainly for US and Canada. If the vehicle is ever going to hit the production line it will be stationed anywhere between Taigun and Touareg in the VW fleet and will be competing against the Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer and others.
The new SUV concept features a plug-in hybrid that combines a TDI engine with 2 electric motors, an electric AWD system and a DSG transmission that together offers fuel economy of about 2.1 litres per 100 km or 57.18 kmpl.
The SUV was designed in Germany under Walter de Silva (head of design, VW) and Klaus Bischoff in close association with Volkswagen America. The concept is about 4,987mm in length, 2,015mm in width and about 1,733mm in height. A wide 1,686mm front track and 1,696mm rear track gives it confident stand on the road. In contrast with the body colour, it also features a stainless-steel trim that runs all the way around the lower section of vehicle.
The concept features two fuel points, with the diesel tank at the passenger side and another with two electric sockets on the driver’s side. The first socket can be used for charging the battery and another one can be used for other electrical devices. The concept features two seat in three rows but a production version may contain a third seat in the middle row to make it a full fledge seven seater. Headroom is quite nice in the vehicle with front at 1,077mm, middle row with 1,020mm and 954mm at the rear row. Legroom is also quite nice with 947mm in the middle and 917mm at the back. The rear seats can be accessed conveniently by sliding the second row seats with the single hand movement.
The SUV also features an impressive fuel economy, quite impressive from a vehicle that produces over 302bhp and 700 Nm of torque. It can reach form 0 to 98 kmph in just 7 second, while the rated top speed is 205 kmph and about 120 kmph in electrical mode. The SUV runs on zero emission by just press of a button. With a full charge it can travel up to 14 miles in electric mode. It can travel up to 661 km with its 70 litre fuel tank and electrical unit.
The Cross Blue is based on the Volkswagen modular transverse matrix component set. Its 190 PS TDI diesel engine is mated with the six speed DSG dual clutch auto transmission. The SUV is powered by a 9.8 kWh lithium ion battery that powers 85 kW rear and 40kW front electric motor. Driver can switch from charging mode to operational by just press of a button on center console. The TDI engine charges the battery while the driving.
