Car Sight

This is the Volkswagen New Compact Coupe (NCC), Wolfsburg’s Detroit show star. Looking a lot like a “poor man’s Audi A5″ the NCC is powered by a hybrid powertrain which combines a 1.4-litre TSI engine with 148 bhp and 220 Nm and a 27 bhp electric motor VW calls E-motor. Naturally, power goes to the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG gearbox.

VW quotes great consumption and emission figures – 23.8 km/l economy and 98 g/km of CO2 to be precise. As a comparison, the Eos Bluemotion is rated at 16.1 km/l and 144 g/km. Performance is not sacrificed to achieve this; 227 km/h top speed and 0-100 km/h in 8.6 seconds are resepectable.

A 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack stored in the NCC’s rear powers the E-motor. Efficiency measures include regenerative braking, stop-start and a “coast down” measure, where engine is disengaged from transmission as soon as the driver releases the gas pedal. This is even possible at higher speeds, as in highway cruising. Drag losses are eliminated, so the NCC coasts for a long time to save fuel.

At 4.54m long and 1.78m wide, the NCC has a similar footprint to the Jetta, although it has a lower roofline and longer wheelbase (2.65m) than the sedan. Boot volume is 380 litres. The four-seat coupe is positioned between the Scirocco and Passat CC. You can probably image that the new Mk6-based Jetta will be a four door version of this one.

Everything looks highly ready for production, from the simple, cleanly designed body to the cabin that uses parts found in current VW models. Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff describes the NCC as having a “timeless dynamic and purist elegance that is typical of Volkswagen”. When will it be launched? “When the time is right,” is the statement in the press release.