.
World premiere of VOLKSWAGEN Concept A in Berlin

Wolfsburg / Berlin - 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 is as powerful as it is aesthetic and that posses best all round features. Volkswagen celebrates its world premier in Berlin. The premier for the public will follow at the Geneve Automobile Salon in late February. The Concept A stands for 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. 20 inch alloy rims and 295 tires fill out the space in the distinctively extended wheelhouses.

Full load and plenty of light: Concept A's finish is colored in the intense blue tone of glacier formations and is called "Glacier metallic". Added are glass flakes which enhance the depth of the paint 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 presents itself 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 110 kW (150 hp) strong Twincharger (TSI), whose motto is "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 Golf GTI (147 kW / 200 hp) and much more could also be used.

Studies can do and are allowed anything

Viable dream: The Concept A is the vision of an ideal Volkswagen. One of many variations of the future. They are all connected by one claim: Volkswagen, like the Concept A, has to be feasible for many customers and expand the model spectrum according to customer's needs.

Present spectrum: Today this spectrum ranges from the Fox to the Phaeton. But more and more we will be seeing a fascinating diversity between these columns. CrossPolo, Golf GTI, Golf R32, Eos or the Passat Individual are showing the way. The New Beetle and the New Beetle Convertible were forerunners. The new spectrum between the columns offers a huge potential and includes cars like the clever Caddy Color Concept for families, the wild GX3 for California, the large Multivan Beach for the continental trip and the consistently versatile Eos for every day and every weather of the year. Future Spectrum: But that's not all. A VW sports car also fits between the columns. And an all wheel powered specialist of the Golf class has been on track to go into series for quite some time. As a concentrate of various automobiles, Concept A demonstrates where the optical journey can lead to. The crossover study combines elements of a compact SUV with the lines of a sports car. A designer's coup de main.

SUV-Coupe: Presented worldwide for the first time in Berlin, the Concept A optically accompanies the leap of the Volkswagen brand into the future. Conceptually the design team used a point of attack coming from the ever growing de-fragmentation of the segments. Result: if up till now the SUV's put the advantages of the hatchback in the forefront, the Concept A, with its coupe like rear part, underlines a more classic dynamic. Here the design combines the no compromise elegance of a sports car with the demonstrative robustness of an off road model. A fun machine and high everyday efficiency, a sports car with travel qualities, a coupe with station wagon features. The design of the 4.35 meter long, 1.85 meter wide and 1.55 meter high Concept A in detail:

DESIGN INTERIOR

Everything light and airy, no overloading of the instruments; on good days the folding roof turns the Concept A into a convertible Spacious interior: Light and air dominate the space's feel. A large soft top can be swerved all the way back to the C column if needed. In its concept the interior is of a surprising clarity. The four bucket seats offer optimum ergonomic features, yet are still built in a spacesaving manner. The cockpit and middle console are separate independent areas that were created solitaire, free of compromises of a forced connection.

Less is more: In its volume and formal specification, the middle console already embodies a formal connection to motor and transmission. The gear shift knob is positioned ideally. So that while driving the right hand forms a direct line to the strength flow between motor, transmission and all wheel drive. The completely reduced design of the cockpit, however, appears to be floating in the room. A central round instrument allows for concentrating on essentials. Standing out is the formal integration of the climate exhaust which intentionally are used as a dominant design element. Their large space grid structure carries functional elements like the Multi-Media-Interface.

(February 16th, 2006)