Volkswagen Premiers Concept A

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 promises to be as powerful as it is aesthetic and that possesses best all-round features. Volkswagen recently gave a sneak preview of the Concept A at its world premier in Berlin, though the premier for the public will follow at the Geneve Automobile Salon on February 28 through March 1. The Concept A represents 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, and 20-inch alloy rims and 295 tires fill out the space in the distinctively extended wheelhouses.

Full load and plenty of light:
Here the VW language of the new era, recently demonstrated on the Passat and Eos, finds another step in its evolution. Hereby the Concept A shows pure dynamic. Rising lines in the side graphic and the controlled interchange of surfaces forms, and sensational proportions reflect this dynamic and strength. Different angles around the car display new exciting modulations and accents, so that the design of the Concept A literally plays with the light.

Concept A's finish is colored in the intense blue tone of glacier formations and is called "Glacier metallic." Glass flakes to enhance the depth of the paint are 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 is 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 150-hp Twincharger (TSI) engine, and carries the motto: "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 200-hp Golf GTI, and much more could also be options as well. As we already know, concept studies can do and are allowed anything.

Watch for more info about this car and others when they are revealed in our 2006 Geneva Motor Show coverage, coming online to MotorTrend.com beginning February 28, 2006.