Remember the Sport Coupe Concept GTE from last year’s Geneva Motor Show? As expected, the production version of the next-generation Volkswagen CC will borrow some cues from the concept.
What we weren’t expecting, though, was for our spy photographers to catch the 2018 Volkswagen CC benchmarking against the 2016 Ford Focus RS on the roads in the vicinity of the most difficult circuit of them all - the Green Hell. The question is, does this mean a high-powered engine is in the offing?
Could be, could be not. As a brief refresher, the Sport Coupe Concept GTE relies on a 3.0 V6 TSI engine with 296 horsepower (300 PS) on tap. That not much if you take into consideration that the Golf R prides itself on that same amount of get-up-and-go from a 2.0-liter four-banger, yet the concept vehicle has two more electric motors at each axle to play with.
This is speculation from yours truly at the present moment, but some sort of electrification will be offered in the 2018 Volkswagen CC, probably PHEV.
Previous reports suggested that the all-new CC will go the way of the fastback with a hatchback liftgate. The rumor mill bases this assumption on the fact that the VW CC was previously spied in the presence of a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. What I can tell from what’s hiding underneath the thick camouflage is that the long-due 2018 Volkswagen CC will get a liftgate.
Under the sexy-looking sheet metal, the next generation of the Volkswagen CC will ride on the MQB platform. It other words, the CC can’t shake off its Passat origins, not even now. That’s not a bad thing, however. The Volkswagen Passat B8, especially the one with the 2.0 BiTDI with 237 horsepower (240 PS) is one seriously capable family-oriented sedan.
In the absence of the Phaeton full-size sedan, the next-generation CC will fill the role of flagship sedan until things get better for Volkswagen.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News