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Published on November 30th, 2011 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez

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VW World Premiere Of The Cross Coupé @ Tokyo Motor Show

At the Tokyo Motor Show Volkswagen unveiled its concept of an SUV of the future: the Cross Coupé. Visually the all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid vehicle shows how Volkswagen designers could envisage a crossover between a four-door coupé and a compact SUV. The design team led by Walter de Silva and Klaus Bischoff has created a fascinating study that impressively combines the best of two worlds. Original, strong in character, sculptural and dynamic, the Cross Coupé stands for the future of SUV design at Volkswagen!
Features of the Cross Coupé consequently include strikingly short bodywork overhangs. The four-seat SUV is powered by two electric motors (1 x front, 1 x rear) and a direct injection turbo petrol engine (TSI). The Cross Coupé can drive a distance of up to 45 kilometres purely on electric power. The all-wheel drive system with ‘electric drive shaft’ represents an innovation for Volkswagen, with the rear axle being driven by the rear of the two electric motors. 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. In the Cross Coupé the flow of electrical energy thus replaces the conventional transfer of power by means of a drive shaft. And that creates room on board the concept car for another important technology: the centre tunnel, usually the place for the drive shaft, houses the lithium ion battery (tunnel battery) on the Cross Coupé. The low position of the battery and the general layout of the drive systems give the vehicle a very low centre of gravity and facilitate a balanced spread of axle loading. Although equipped with the all-round qualities of an SUV, the concept car therefore demonstrates the dynamic handling of a coupé.

At 4,345 mm, the concept car being shown in Tokyo is longer than a Golf and shorter than a Tiguan. The width of 1,868 mm and height of 1,523 mm also come exactly in between these two bestsellers. In terms of its dimensions, the Cross Coupé is therefore a vehicle in the globally much in-demand A segment.
It is also noticeable that at 2,630 mm the concept car has what in relation to its overall length is a very long wheelbase (52 mm longer than the Golf and 26 mm longer than the Tiguan). The bodywork overhangs (855 mm at the front and 860 mm at the back) are correspondingly short.
All of the dimensions combined, the overall proportions are extremely snappy. The powerful look is underlined by large wheel tracks of 1,585 mm (front) and 1,613 mm (rear).

Away from made-up roads the Cross Coupé makes its mark with bodywork figures that fall almost into the range of classic SUVs. The front angle of approach, for example, is a good 24.2 degrees and the rear in terms of off-road use an excellent 32.5 degrees. The Cross Coupé also features good off-road ground clearance. 
The Cross Coupé has not one but three motors, which work together efficiently as a hybrid system. At the front under the bonnet is a 110 kW TSI petrol engine delivering maximum torque of 210 Nm and an electric motor with an output of 40 kW and 180 Nm of torque. Together or individually these two motors power the front axle. If the Cross Coupé is to be used in all-wheel drive or pure electric power mode, a further electric motor cuts in. This has been integrated as a co-axial drive unit into the rear axle layout. This motor drives the rear wheels. This second electric motor generates up to 85 kW and develops torque of 270 Nm. The overall output of the system (petrol engine + battery) is a maximum of 195 kW.

When the vehicle is being driven purely on electric power, the electric motors receive their current from an 8-module lithium ion battery. The battery holds 9.8 kWh of energy and is located inside the Cross Coupé’s centre tunnel, i.e. where the drive shaft is found in conventional SUVs. An electronic power control module, operating at around 370 volts and integrated into the engine compartment, manages the flow of high-voltage energy from and to the battery and to the electric motors. Meanwhile, the Cross Coupé’s low voltage electrical system is supplied with the necessary 12 volts through a DC/DC converter. The electric drive system causes no space restrictions in the vehicle’s interior. The battery gets charged either via external electricity sources (230-volt connection) or – in motion – via the TSI engine and battery regeneration (both front and rear axles).

With a full tank of fuel the Cross Coupé weighs 1,748 kg (58% on the front axle, 42% on the rear). It can take a further load of 450 kg and be driven a distance of up to 45 km on purely electric power. In doing so the vehicle produces no emissions. In the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) the TSI engine’s fuel consumption is just 2.7 litres per 100 km, equating to CO2 emissions of only 62 g/km. With a fuel tank capacity of 55 litres, the theoretical range in hybrid mode is 815 kilometres. Adding in the electric range, the Cross Coupé can do 855 km without stopping for fuel.


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