2010 Detroit Auto Show: VW Lifts Veil Off 45-MPG Compact Coupe Hybrid Concept

2010 Detroit Auto Show: VW Lifts Veil Off 45-MPG Compact Coupe Hybrid Concept

By Scott Doggett January 11, 2010

In what Volkswagen described as "No. 1 on the spectacular list of new products for calendar year 2010," the German automaker today unveiled its New Compact Coupe hybrid concept before a riveted mass of media at the ongoing North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The NCC, as company spokesmen prefer to refer to the sleek two-door car, is "a hybrid drive that is extremely fast and yet futuristic in its fuel economy."
 
They said the stylish model gets 45 miles per gallon in the European cycle (figure 40ish on the American cycle), farts a mere 98 grams of carbon-dioxide per kilometer, reaches 60 miles per hour in 8.1 seconds, and can go 136 mph "if necessary."

For more on what it would cost you if you were caught going 136 mph on a public road in many parts of Europe, click here to read about that continent's 8-figure speeding tickets.

For Volkswagen, January "marks the beginning of an action-packed year, in which more new models will be introduced than ever before in the company's history," the company said.

While not confirming plans to bring the coupe to market, VW spokesmen said the automaker has positioned it between the European bestselling Scirocco and the internationally successful CC.

The company credits the vehicle's performance on the track and at the pump with use of a 150-horsepower TSI engine, a 20-kilowatt electric motor and a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (think fancy automatic).

"Just over a month after the debut of the most fuel-efficient four-seater in the world - the Up! Lite in Los Angeles - this new concept car confirms once again that future Volkswagen hybrid vehicles will not only focus on fuel economy, but - similar to pure gasoline and diesel versions of Europe's most successful auto-mobile brand - will also aim to be sporty and fun to drive," the company said in a statement, without a hint of an apology for a wickedly nasty run-on sentence.

In the first half of the year, Volkswagen will launch its first hybrid model on the market under the VW label - an SUV with full-time all-wheel drive, company spokesmen said.

"Meanwhile, the New Compact Coupe shows, both technically and visually, how Volkswagen envisions a front-wheel-drive hybrid for the compact class that would be implemented when the time is right," they said.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.