Volkswagen debuts new SUV concept, the CrossBlue

The latest news from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit this week is the announcement of Volkswagens new SUV concept, the CrossBlue. Designed in Germany and developed specifically for the U.S. and Canada, the concept is 4,987 mm long, 2,015 mm wide and 1,733 mm high. It will be equipped with seating for six over three rows. If/when it goes ahead into production; it would sit above the Tiguan and below the Touareg in the Volkswagen SUV line-up.

The CrossBlue features a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a TDI engine with two electric motors, a DSG transmission, and an electric all-wheel-drive system dubbed ‘propshaft by wire’, and offers economy of 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres, or 134.5 mpg (Volkswagen’s manufacturer estimated fuel economy rating in US gallons is 89 mpg combined in electric mode and 35 mpg as a hybrid).

The CrossBlue will have two ‘fuel doors’: one for the diesel tank on the passenger side, and one covering two electrical sockets on the driver’s side. The first socket is to charge the lithium-ion battery and the second can be used to connect electrical devices.

The CrossBlue is based on Volkswagen’s new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) components set. Its 190 PS TDI diesel engine is from the new EA288 family, matched to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission. The 9.8 kWh lithium-ion battery lies in the vehicle’s centre tunnel, and powers 40 kW front and 85 kW rear electric motors.

The CrossBlue runs in zero emissions mode at the press of a button or automatically. With a fully charged battery, the CrossBlue can travel up to 14 miles in electric mode in the US test cycle, or 33 km (20 miles) using the European driving cycle. It has a potential range of 661 miles from a combination of the 70-litre fuel tank and battery power.

The driver can switch to a charging mode by pressing another button on the centre console. The TDI engine charges the battery while driving to store enough electrical energy for EV operation later in the journey, for instance in an urban area. There are also a number of other modes, as detailed below.

• Coasting: When the driver releases the accelerator pedal, the engine and electric motors are decoupled from the drivetrain, provided there is sufficient battery charge.


• Battery regeneration: When the accelerator is released or the brakes applied, the electric motors act as generators and feed energy recovered from the brakes into the battery. In this case, the TDI is also shut off and decoupled from the drivetrain.


• Boosting: When more performance is required, the electric motors form an alliance with the TDI engine known as ‘boosting’. In this mode, all four wheels are driven.


• Off-road (‘propshaft by wire’): All four wheels are driven. In this case the front electric motor (supplied with energy by the TDI engine) operates as a generator and a power source for the electric motor at the rear.


• TDI only: In this mode, the CrossBlue is a pure front-wheel-drive vehicle.

It will be interesting to see this concept come to life and possibly make its way on to our shores as well. There will no doubt be more exciting news to come from the NAIAS show which runs from January 14-27, 2013 and I'll do my best to post additional details to keep you up to date.