What is it?
Volkswagen Concept A
What's special about it?
Volkswagen didn't bother with a press conference for its Concept A compact SUV, but the company did go through the trouble of hauling in huge blocks of ice to surround the display. Keeping the ice frozen can't have been any small expense, either, what with all the bright lights and human body heat in Geneva's Palexpo.
As we've seen with the Touareg, Volkswagen feels it's important to cultivate a distinct outdoorsy image for any new SUV offering. Glaciers are the Concept A's motif and its "Glacier Metallic" exterior paint has flakes of glass in it to impart the translucence of ice. The motif continues inside where there's "Black Reflection" patent leather upholstery, "Frozen Ice" magnesium trim and "Ice Crystal" carpet.
We can't say we understand Volkswagen's fixation with ice, but we like the direction the company's designers took with the styling. "It's an SUV ride with a coupe silhouette," Lead Exterior Designer Marc Lichte told us. "It's a new generation of Volkswagen design that's a lot more emotional than before."
Fortunately, VW is thinking practical as well. The car-based Concept A rides on the same platform used for the current Jetta and shares its 101.5-inch wheelbase. It's compatible with Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system as well as the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbo four and 3.2-liter V6 engines.
Of course, the Concept A doesn't have either of these engines. It uses Volkswagen's new "twincharger" engine technology that combines the efforts of a supercharger and a turbocharger to maximize performance and efficiency. VW engineers have determined that this technology works particularly well on natural gas applications, so the Concept A has a 1.4-liter, CNG-powered four-cylinder good for about 148 horsepower.
What's Edmunds' take?
Volkswagen needs a more affordable, more fuel-efficient SUV than the Touareg, and we suspect a Jetta-based sport-ute could be slotted into the lineup with an under-$30,000 price tag. We just hope VW can get this done before the end of the decade — and without diluting the Concept A's styling.
While VW hasn't offered many technical details about its twincharger technology, it's certainly intriguing as an alternative, or even a supplement, to hybrid and diesel technology. However, until VW starts using it on larger engines, you're unlikely to see it on U.S.-spec vehicles. — Erin Riches
Volkswagen Concept A
What's special about it?
Volkswagen didn't bother with a press conference for its Concept A compact SUV, but the company did go through the trouble of hauling in huge blocks of ice to surround the display. Keeping the ice frozen can't have been any small expense, either, what with all the bright lights and human body heat in Geneva's Palexpo.
As we've seen with the Touareg, Volkswagen feels it's important to cultivate a distinct outdoorsy image for any new SUV offering. Glaciers are the Concept A's motif and its "Glacier Metallic" exterior paint has flakes of glass in it to impart the translucence of ice. The motif continues inside where there's "Black Reflection" patent leather upholstery, "Frozen Ice" magnesium trim and "Ice Crystal" carpet.
We can't say we understand Volkswagen's fixation with ice, but we like the direction the company's designers took with the styling. "It's an SUV ride with a coupe silhouette," Lead Exterior Designer Marc Lichte told us. "It's a new generation of Volkswagen design that's a lot more emotional than before."
Fortunately, VW is thinking practical as well. The car-based Concept A rides on the same platform used for the current Jetta and shares its 101.5-inch wheelbase. It's compatible with Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system as well as the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbo four and 3.2-liter V6 engines.
Of course, the Concept A doesn't have either of these engines. It uses Volkswagen's new "twincharger" engine technology that combines the efforts of a supercharger and a turbocharger to maximize performance and efficiency. VW engineers have determined that this technology works particularly well on natural gas applications, so the Concept A has a 1.4-liter, CNG-powered four-cylinder good for about 148 horsepower.
What's Edmunds' take?
Volkswagen needs a more affordable, more fuel-efficient SUV than the Touareg, and we suspect a Jetta-based sport-ute could be slotted into the lineup with an under-$30,000 price tag. We just hope VW can get this done before the end of the decade — and without diluting the Concept A's styling.
While VW hasn't offered many technical details about its twincharger technology, it's certainly intriguing as an alternative, or even a supplement, to hybrid and diesel technology. However, until VW starts using it on larger engines, you're unlikely to see it on U.S.-spec vehicles. — Erin Riches
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