VW CrossBlue Coupe concept (2013) first pictures

This is VW's latest SUV concept: the CrossBlue Coupe. If the name sounds familiar, you'll remember it from the CrossBlue concept SUV we saw at the Detroit motor show back in January 2013. This car is lower, and boasts sportier detailing. It's not a true coupe (despite how VW badges it) but it does preview the look of a sporty SUV from Volkswagen – a sort of VW X6, with hybrid power.

The CrossBlue Coupe stands 1679mm high – slightly lower than a BMW X6, and noticeably lower than the CrossBlue. Its two-metre width, accentuated by the large front grille and slim LED lights, rivals a Range Rover's girth. The front is also more rounded than the bluff CrossBlue – is that another Range Rover influence we spy lurking in the styling?

More sporty cues come in the shape of the raked rear screen, large exhaust outlets integrated into the rear skid plate, and huge 22in alloy wheels. It's the most aggressive-looking VW SUV we've seen since the bonkers Touareg R50 – but the CrossBlue has an eco-friendly heart under its butch exterior.

Hah – that's exactly what VW expected you to think! Actually, this isn't just a new body on an old chassis: the CrossBlue Coupe uses a petrol-hybrid powertrain, in place of the CrossBlue coupe's diesel-hybrid gubbins. The Coupe's turbocharged V6 and twin electric motors develop a combined 411bhp, hauling the car to 62mph in 5.9sec and a top speed of 146mph.

VW claims that the powertrain can return a combined economy figure of 94mpg, thanks to a 20 mile electric-only range. When working in hybrid mode with the V6 running, the consumption figure drops to a more realistic 40.9mpg.

That's highly unlikely if you live in Europe: a large six-or seven-seat SUV to sit above the Touareg would only be offered in Chinese and American markets, if signed off.

What is of interest to Europeans is the powertrain tech. VW says that thanks to their adaptable MQB platform (which the CrossBlue Coupe utilises), future cars on the same underpinnings could use the hybrid drive, as well as 'conventional drive systems (four and six-cylinder engines) configured for a wide variety of fuels (petrol, diesel, compressed natural gas).'

With downsized eco tech from the radical XL1 already slated for the Up city car and your next Golf, it looks as if VW is pushing ahead with giving SUVs an eco state of mind too. A 70mpg next-gen Touareg? It just might be on sale near you, sometime in 2015.

By Ollie Kew