Volkswagen’s CrossBlue Said To See The Light In China

Friday, May 17, 2013

Volkswagen’s CrossBlue Said To See The Light In China

The Volkswagen CrossBlue and CrossBlue Coupe will be made in China by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture, Carnewschina reports today. According to the report, the car will be built when Volkswagen's new factory will open in Changsha in China's Hunan Province.

The plant will have an annual output of 300,000 units, construction of the plant started yesterday.

The CrossBlue Coupe with (according to Autoweek) "sporty looks and proportions—and eye-popping 415-hp output" and the more traditional CrossBlue were concepts shown at this year's Shanghai Auto Show. The concept uses a 295-hp, V6 TSI engine, augmented by two electric motors that add 54 hp and 114 hp, for a net total output of 415 hp for the system.

Volkswagen says then "when the car's full power potential is utilized, the SUV becomes a sports car: The Volkswagen accelerates to 100 km/h in a mere 5.9 seconds, and its maximum speed is 236 km/h (147 mph)." Volkswagen claims a combined fuel consumption of just 3.0 l/100 km (in the new European driving cycle or NEDC, 78 mpg , definitely not EPA).

Whether this power train will still be in the car when it goes on sale remains to be seen. A seven-seat and a five-seat variant is planned. The production version will be based on Volkswagen's new MQB platform.

According to Carnewschina, "The CrossBlue is developed to satisfy China's ever growing appetite for bigger, faster and more luxurious SUV's. The CrossBlue Concept is basically the successor of the current Volkswagen Touareg, the Crossblue is moving into new territory for the Volkswagen brand."

According to Chinese rumors, the new Changsha factory will also build a new Volkswagen sedan, code named VW511, that will be positioned between the Volkswagen Passat and the Volkswagen Phaeton.