{"id":92740,"date":"2015-04-20T09:24:40","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T13:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=92740"},"modified":"2015-04-20T09:24:42","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T13:24:42","slug":"volkswagen-goes-big-with-c-coupe-gte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/04\/volkswagen-goes-big-with-c-coupe-gte\/","title":{"rendered":"Volkswagen Goes Big With C-Coupe GTE"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Volkswagen C Coupe GTE made its debut in Shanghai. The model will be VW's flagship in China.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wasn\u2019t all that long ago that Chinese motorists had to wait to see the debut of products already on sale in other parts of the world. These days, a growing number of manufacturers are introducing some of their newest products first in China, the world\u2019s largest automotive market.<\/p>\n

And more than a few of these vehicles will \u2013 at least initially \u2013 only be offered for sale in the booming Asian nation. That\u2019s the case with the next-generation Ford Taurus, as well as the new Volkswagen C Coupe GTE that is making its debut at this week\u2019s Shanghai Motor Show.<\/p>\n

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The Leader in Global Automotive News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Measuring a full 200 inches in length, with a 76-inch width, this is no Beetle or Golf, but a car aimed for premium buyers who might not want to go all the way up to an Audi. Indeed, the C Coupe is the first model from Volkswagen to share the larger MLB \u201carchitecture\u201d primarily designed for the Audi brand, rather than VW\u2019s smaller MQB.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more than just a size issue. Where vehicles like the Golf use a transverse engine layout, Audi\u2019s platform goes for a more high-end approach with a longitudinal, or \u201cNorth-South\u201d powertrain.<\/p>\n

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Volkswagen C Coupe GTE gets a long nose, sweeping roof line and a short rear deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The approach shouldn\u2019t be a complete surprise. VW brand officials have been hinting that they have an all-new flagship coming, and “The evolution of the Volkswagen design DNA shown here will accompany us worldwide,\u201d noted Klaus Bischoff, the brand design chief, \u201con the way to the new Phaeton.”<\/p>\n

The C Coupe gets a relatively long nose, sweeping roof line and short rear deck, the slat grille helping distinguish it from similarly sized Audi models. This is a coupe in name only. There are not just four doors, but big portals for rear seat passengers.<\/p>\n

That reflects a key aspect of the Chinese market: upscale buyers routinely opt to sit in the back seat and turn over the often unpleasant task of negotiating crowded urban streets to their chauffeurs. In turn, makers need to add extra inches of rear legroom and load the back up with extra comfy seats and the sort of touches normally found up front.<\/p>\n

(VW board gives Winterkorn vote of confidence. For more, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the case of the VW C Coupe, that includes separate infotainment and climate controls operated by two personal 4.5-inch touchscreens in the center console. Each rear seat passenger also gets a 9.5-inch screen for viewing videos.<\/p>\n

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In the VW C Coupe, each rear seat passenger also gets a 9.5-inch screen for viewing videos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“In the rear, there are two individual seats that show who the most important passengers are,\u201d explains a VW release. \u201cThe rear of the interior is characterized by a lounge-like ambience that features a higher proportion of materials such as wood and leather. The door panels with their wooden elements create a cocoon-like feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for details VW, Toyota going to sales war.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve seen from Volkswagen a number of times over the last year, the C Coupe is being introduced in GTE form \u2013 Volkswagen shorthand for a battery-based drivetrain. In this configuration, that means a turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine making 208 horsepower that has been paired with a 122-hp electric motor. Both send power through an eight-speed automatic.<\/p>\n

Using the European test cycle, the VW C Coupe is expected to get 102 miles per gallon in combined driving. Cut that be as much as a third to get a sense of what it would deliver here in the U.S. using the stricter EPA test cycle.<\/p>\n

(To see more about Mercedes Concept GLC Coupe in Shanghai, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The powertrain can still launch from 0 to 60 in 8.6 seconds, says VW, on the way to a top speed of 144 mph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chinese motorists used to have to wait for the debut of products on sale in other parts of the world. No longer as it is the world’s largest auto market. Volkswagen is showing off its longer-than-normal C Coupe GTE at the Shanghai Motor Show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92740"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=92740"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=92740"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=92740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}