Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE unveiled with V6 plug-in hybrid drivetrain

According to Klaus Bischoff, head of design at Volkswagen, "the Sport Coupe Concept GTE is a car that we position above today's Volkswagen CC", that has been developed to "elicit an 'I want to have it' feeling".

Based on the transverse-engined front- and all-wheel drive MQB component set, the Sport Coupe Concept measures 4869 millimetres from front to back, is 1865mm wide, stands 1407mm tall and sits on a 2841mm wheelbase. This makes the four-door "coupe" concept 103mm longer, 33mm wider and 49mm lower than the next-generation Passat, while sitting on a wheelbase that's 51mm longer.

The Sport Coupe GTE features an interior that takes the Passat's horizontal theme to another level. Ahead of the driver is a 12.3-inch active instrument display that uses a 3D ambient light effect to eliminate the usual screen bezel.

In the centre of the dashboard there's a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, while at the rear there's a 12.3-inch touchscreen, as well as two 10.1-inch monitors embedded into the back of the front seats' headrests.

Under the skin, the concept car features a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with a total of 279kW at its disposal. Under the bonnet there's a turbocharged 3.0-litre direct injection V6 churning out 220kW of power and 500Nm of torque.

This is connected the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission that incorporates a 40kW/220Nm electric motor. Powering the rear wheels is an electric motor with 85kW and 270Nm to its name.

Volkswagen claims that the Sport Coupe Concept GTE can race from 0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds flat and hit a top speed of 250km/h. Thanks to the 10.7kWh battery pack installed along the spine of the car, electric-only driving range is said to be at least 50 kilometres, with the overall fuel consumption figure estimated to be 2.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

Depending on the situation, the Sport Coupe Concept can operate as either a front-, rear- or all-wheel drive vehicle.