Volkswagen unveiled this Golf-sized mini-SUV Thursday in Berlin – a precursor of a production SUV scheduled for a
2008 rollout. The Concept A SUV is positioned to compete with BMW’s X3, and outfitted accordingly.
The
Concept A will be a highlight of VW’s Geneva Motor Show exhibit, and the production version will debut at 2007’s
Frankfurt auto show. The as yet unnamed mini-ute will be named in a customer contest which will kick off in Geneva.
It will be interesting to see if the B-pillarless suicide doors and the 20-inch wheels survive the transition
to production, but the overall design is said to be very close to the final version. What is likely to change,
according to Automotive News, is the semi-fastback roofline, which will become more
Touareg-like. The Concept A is motivated by the 1.4-liter, direct injection Twin Charger engine from the Golf GT, but
expect other engines to be added for production.
Lots of pics and the VW press release after the jump.
[Source: VW]
VW Press Release:
Concept A – Central Aspects
VW-study shows
an avant-garde cross between the sports cars and SUV’s of tomorrow
Crossover combines sports car design
with SUV elements
Front part offers a glance at a VW-SUV below the Touareg
Wolfsburg / Berlin, 16
February 2006
It is the child of a new era. Its name: Concept A. A Volkswagen with all wheel drive, a
cross between a sports car and SUV, with a design that is as powerful as it is aesthetic and that posses best all round
features. Volkswagen celebrates its world premier in Berlin. The premier for the public will follow at the Geneve
Automobile Salon in late February. The Concept A stands for a progressive design-philosophy. Its front part with a new
3D crest radiator grill made out of brushed aluminum and distinguished head lights form a congenial yet competent and
confident progressive appearance. The “face” is well known, just not on an automobile, it looks like the
mirror image of a cheetah. The silhouette shows the lines of a coupe. The front and rear doors open facing each other.
The carriage overhangs are briskly short, the hood long, the C columns one of a kind. 20 inch alloy rims and 295 tires
fill out the space in the distinctively extended wheelhouses.
Full load and plenty of light: Concept
A’s finish is colored in the intense blue tone of glacier formations and is called „Glacier
metallic“. Added are glass flakes which enhance the depth of the paint applied in a piano lacquer technique. The
rear part, with its athletic flanks, imparts a strong elegance. The hatchback is built in tailgate-style and can be
opened in two steps: the area under the rear lights swings out like a pick-up loading surface and thus creates a lot of
room for big items. At the bottom the motor exhales via two round chrome pipes. The interior presents itself spacious
and open. Light and air dominate the feel of the space. If needed, a large soft top can be swerved all the way back to
the C column.
Motors any way you like, but with all wheel drive: The study shown in Berlin is powered by a
110 kW (150 hp) strong Twincharger (TSI), whose motto is “maximum driving pleasure, minimum consumption”.
Its power reaches the wheels via a six gear transmission and an all wheel drive 4MOTION. A turbo diesel direct fuel
injection (TDI) with diesel particle filter, the FSI Turbo of the Golf GTI (147 kW / 200 hp) and much more could also
be used. Studies can do and are allowed anything.
Viable dream: The Concept A is the vision of an ideal
Volkswagen. One of many variations of the future. They are all connected by one claim: Volkswagen, like the Concept A,
has to be feasible for many customers and expand the model spectrum according to customer’s needs.
Present spectrum: Today this spectrum ranges from the Fox to the Phaeton. But more and more we will be seeing a
fascinating diversity between these columns. CrossPolo, Golf GTI, Golf R32, Eos or the Passat Individual are showing
the way. The New Beetle and the New Beetle Convertible were forerunners. The new spectrum between the columns offers a
huge potential and includes cars like the clever Caddy Color Concept for families, the wild GX3 for California, the
large Multivan Beach for the continental trip and the consistently versatile Eos for every day and every weather of the
year.
Future Spectrum: But that’s not all. A VW sports car also fits between the columns. And an all
wheel powered specialist of the Golf class has been on track to go into series for quite some time. As a concentrate of
various automobiles, Concept A demonstrates where the optical journey can lead to. The crossover study combines elements
of a compact SUV with the lines of a sports car. A designer’s coup de main.
SUV-Coupe: Presented
worldwide for the first time in Berlin, the Concept A optically accompanies the leap of the Volkswagen brand into the
future. Conceptually the design team used a point of attack coming from the ever growing de-fragmentation of the
segments. Result: if up till now the SUV’s put the advantages of the steep hatchback in the forefront, the
Concept A, with its coupe like rear part, underlines a more classic dynamic. Here the design combines the no compromise
elegance of a sports car with the demonstrative robustness of an off road model. A fun machine and high everyday
efficiency, a sports car with travel qualities, a coupe with station wagon features.
Evolution of pure
dynamic: Here the VW language of the new era, recently continued with the Passat and Eos, finds another courageous step
in evolution. Hereby the Concept A shows pure dynamic. Rising lines in the side graphic and the controlled interchange
of surfaces and forms, but especially the sensational proportions reflect this dynamic and strength. Whoever moves
around the car will always find new exciting modulations and accents; the design of the Concept A literally plays with
the light.
They are big, those wheels: The 20 inch wheels with their 295 tires distributed on a wheelbase
of 2.6 meters give the impression of strength and power. The radial spoke motive of the rims optically additionally
enhances the diameter. The spokes lying on top of each other in two parts continue the dominant theme of 3D and appear
to be floating in the rim.
Sharp proportions: The hood is extremely long, the back extremely short.
Compact in any case are the carriage overhangs: In the front the axle is followed by 0.93 meter, in the rear its only
0.82 meter. The volume in between is distinguished by a prominent design element: The strong molding of the side
skirts. Its concave transition to the surface is combined with a line at shoulder height. Sillboards, wheel arches and
fenders melt to a muscular and excitement loaded form variety. Furthermore: What starts as a discrete line in the front
part of the silhouette at the height of the A column, develops towards the rear to a continuously stronger modeled
shoulder in the style of very classic and timeless sports cars. Formally described this shoulder line captures the
light and gives the C column, which is harmonically combined with the chassis body, its very own graphic of a stretched
triangle. Subjectively described, the incomparable C column shows speed and a crisp linkage in the perhaps sharpest and
most dynamic rear part of any study ever presented by Volkswagen.
Who needs a B column? A contrast to the
almost sensuous form is the graphic strictness of the door groove. The doors face each other. The reason: the
functional advantages of the generous entry and the spectacular picture of the open door wings. There is no room for a
B column. Detailed haptical and formal perfection let the door handles of both wings optically appear as one. Its outer
surfaces are held in brushed aluminum while the interior surfaces are marked by a polished upper. Because of their form
and position the door handles of the Concept A suggest a two door coupe. This impression is enhanced by the roof
contours. The flat and stretched black covered roof covers the very low windows of the sports car silhouette.
Distinguished hissing: Already at first glance the new car communicates in a split second all optical messages
over the front part of the automobile. In the front, the design of the Concept A shows a new evolutionary step
Volkswagen’s crest radiator grill. The V theme, known among others from the Golf GTI and Passat, incorporates the
grill as an integral element in the sculpture. Clearly drawn out it eludes itself of the reservations of a homogenous
surface and leaps forward with a balanced concentration of aggression. In the lower area however, the grill dodges
behind a filigree body colored crossbeam. This picture resembles a wild cat, a Cheetah, fast, athletic, concentrated,
not without desire to attack but also familiar.
Look me in the eyes: The slightly slanted headlights, the
eyes of this cat underline the exceptional competent and confident appearance of the Concept A. A trapeze shaped
headlight element brakes the circle characteristic for Volkswagen ever since the Beetle age. LEDs catapult the
traditional motive of the round headlights into the future. The frame for the grille and headlights are formed by the
bumper elements on the side, which in the lower continuation, visually take the V theme of the entire front part to the
top level. This V stretches from the under carriage protection, over the crest radiator grill and the hood with its
power domes, all the way to the A columns.
Classic like a Roadster: Just like the soft top of a classic
Roadster, the roof rises slightly over the comparatively low and steep front window. The aluminum outside space of the
A columns give the front window as well as the roof optical support. In their graphic effect, dominantly designed
through the material change they form an essential design characteristic of the Concept A.
Multi variable
trunk situation: As outlined the hatchback of the Concept A is made of two parts. The lower part can be opened
independently and just like a pick-up can stay open for the transport of long items. The top part: The outside lying
hinges are not only a symbol for functionality and solidity they are also a technical requirement for the distinguished
flow of the coupe like roof contour. The hatchback, with its large window and the flat angle, reiterates a classic
sports car design element.
One likes to drive behind that: In their graphic, the rear lights take up a,
for this day and age, typical VW design element. The circle and the trapeze. New however is the again three dimensional
design of the rear lights and that they are an integral part of the breathtaking shoulder of this study. At the bottom
the motor exhales via two round chrome pipes.
Spacious interior: Light and air dominate the space’s
feel. A large soft top can be swerved all the way back to the C column if needed. In its concept the interior is of a
surprising clarity. The four bucket seats offer optimum ergonomic features, yet are still built in a space-saving
manner. The cockpit and middle console are separate independent areas that were created solitaire, free of compromises
of a forced connection.
Less is more: In its volume and formal specification, the middle console already
embodies a formal connection to motor and transmission. The gear shift knob is positioned ideally. So that while
driving the right hand forms a direct line to the strength flow between motor, transmission and all wheel drive. The
completely reduced design of the cockpit, however, appears to be floating in the room. A central round instrument
allows for concentrating on essentials. Standing out is the formal integration of the climate exhaust which
intentionally are used as a dominant design element. Their large space grid structure carries functional elements like
the Multi-Media-Interface.
Showing true colors: The future of the interior design is accompanied by a non
judgmental handling of the different materials from all provenances. The familiar re-interpreted mixed provocatively
with pure innovation. Already the names are proof of courage and fantasy: The fixtures are covered with black patent
leather named “Black Reflection” the applications magnesium painted in “Frozen Ice”. The doors
as well as other interior lining parts again turn to the colors “Black Reflection” and “Frozen
surface” (black nubuk leather and silver applications). The light middle lanes of the seats are upholstered with
the high tech fabric “Antarctica”, a half transparent and extremely breathable fiber. The sitting cheeks
and leg rests are then again decorated with black smooth and suede leather. That leaves the carpet in the light tone
“Ice Crystal” which says it all.
Engine
Concept
1.4
TSI (Twincharger)
Max. output
110 kW / 150 PS
Drive train/Wheels
Transmission
Six gear transmission
Axle drive
4MOTION all wheel drive
Wheels front
10Jx20 – ET 42
Wheels rear
10Jx20 – ET 28
Tire
dimensions
295/40 ZR 20