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| Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept |
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| Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept |
The interior of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept is as innovative as its exterior. The extremely clean design, ergonomic perfection and new interactive interfaces between human and machine - including the use of the driver's biometric data and a new Active Info Display with 3D look - combine to create an avant-garde atmosphere inside this coupé that is in complete harmony with its expressive exterior design.
Charismatic Volkswagen
The Sport Coupé GTE Concept with its avant-garde appearance is taking the automotive world by storm. If it were to go into production, the four-door sports car would be attractive in price for people who need a car with more than two doors and enjoy perfected design. To develop a design statement like the Sport Coupé GTE Concept as an affordable dream all the way to production readiness is a challenge. But by developing the modular transverse matrix and a highly unique design DNA, Volkswagen has created all of the right conditions for taking this milestone car and turning it into a production car over the mid-term future. "Our entire know-how, a maximum of creativity, is bundled in the expressive design of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept," says Klaus Bischoff. The chief designer continues: "A four-door coupé with the charismatic design of a sports car - this car occupies new territory and shows how many rich facets can be expressed by our new design language." The dynamism of the avant-garde exterior design is accentuated by the distinctive exterior colour "Citrin Yellow". "Citrin" is the name of a quartz mineral with yellow colouration. The paint contains what are known as xirallic pigments which - similar to quartz - glitter strongly when illuminated by a light source. Design details of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept:
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| Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept |
Active Info Display with 3D visuality
The new interface modules of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept are appealing to the eye and a high-tech pleasure. The instrument cluster is a prototype of a newly conceptualised Active Info Display with 3D visual effect. The display has a 12.3-inch diagonal and was designed in such a way that the virtual space blends into the real border of the instrument cluster - this is done by a patented ambient light with a three-dimensional effect. No bordered black panel is visible, rather one sees a free-form surface, which interactively structures the three-dimensional space without perceptible borders. This attains a previously unknown high level of value. In its basic configuration, the digital instrument depicts two round instruments; on the left there is the power meter, on the right the speedometer, and in the middle a field to which a wide variety of information can be assigned for display. The new free-form surface makes the round instruments appear to hover in virtual space. The graphics of the displays change according to the driving mode (E-mode or GTE mode).
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| Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept |
The touchscreen of the central infotainment system has a 10.1 inch diagonal; the area alongside this touchscreen also features sensitive sliders for climate control. Serving as the media control module for the rear seating area is a touchscreen (12.3 inch) that is integrated between the individual seats. It can be used to operate functions including the media library, telephone and navigation. Rear passengers can also control the two screens embedded in the backrests of the front seats (each 10.1 inch) via this media control unit. In addition, the sliders integrated alongside the 12.3-inch display can be used to operate the automatic climate control system (four-zone climate control).
Navigation recognises biometric data
For the first time, Volkswagen is interfacing the car's electronics directly with the driver. Based on the driver's biometric data, the Sport Coupé GTE Concept determines - via a smartwatch or armband for measuring the driver's vital functions - whether to select a route leading to the destination that includes an ambitious and winding country road or a gentle route instead. Monitoring of biometric data begins as soon as the driver inputs the destination by speech control or on the touchscreen - but naturally, only if the driver wants to this data stored in the device be used as input for the navigation system. Time and distance are secondary factors here. In this navigation mode, which is individually tailored to the driver, the sole purpose is to experience maximum driving enjoyment. The navigation system recommends routes for this. The recommendations are displayed in lists or via Cover Flow; in this case, apps are used to show additional information and images of the individual routes, e.g. from Instagram. The driver can view the selected route in the infotainment system before heading out. Simultaneously, the driver gets detailed information on the type of route and on the traffic, weather and road conditions along the route. To get the most precise real-time information, the system evaluates the anonymised data (car-to-car) of other vehicles that are already driving on the same route ahead of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept. At the same time, the system compares route conditions to the vehicle state and its equipment. So, before the start, the Sport Coupé GTE Concept checks the vitality of the driver, the route conditions and itself.
Cocoon feeling
The way in which a line from the dashboard and door shoulders appears to wrap around the four passengers like a cocoon is unique. The horizontally aligned dashboard - part of which is designed in carbon - is upholstered in leather at the top, and it uniformly transitions into the front door trim panels. In turn, the look of these panels is continued - both stylistically and in material selection - into the rear doors. From there, this cocoon element that surrounds the entire interior extends up to the interior trim beneath the rear window. The dominant interior colour is "Zermatt Grey", which is a tribute to the sporty elegance of the winter sports venue of that name. An exclusive, open-pored wood named "Linea Walnut" is used in the lateral segments of the steering wheel trim and in the door trim panels as well as in the lower section of the centre console. Its wood grain follows the contours of the components. Combining wood and carbon elements with the "Zermatt Grey" interior colour further emphasises the progressive atmosphere of the interior.
Details of the dash panel
The dash panel is designed straightforward, clean and minimalistic. In the upper area, three slender and elegant aluminium slots function as ventilation openings. On the passenger's side, a carbon accent extends between the aluminium slots. Running beneath them is a slender accent strip with a black piano paint finish. Another aluminium ventilation slot follows beneath the accent strip. It spans the entire width of the dash panel, and is only interrupted by the main instrument - the Active Info Display. Another aluminium trim strip that runs across the entire width completes the decor. It is stylistically continued into the door panels where it is transformed into the door handle as a "wing". Another distinctive line is formed by the ambient lighting. The precise, thin line of light - with its variable colours - wraps around the dash panel (and into the front door panels), the central infotainment system and the centre console that extends into the rear seating area and thereby emphasises the contours in these areas.
Sports car centre console
The centre console rises towards the dash panel, like in a sports car, where it meets the infotainment system. Here too, elegant gloss-black and very thin aluminium surrounds are dominant styling elements. Forming a contrast to this, beneath the "hovering" design of the centre console, is a level that has the look of natural wood. The same material is found on the door panels and on the steering wheel. Practical details: to the right of the DSG gear knob are cupholders; cups placed in them can be kept warm or cooled. The gear selector lever for the 6-speed DSG is equipped with a shift-by-wire gear-shifting logic. Like a joystick, it normally remains in a central middle position. The R, N and D gear selections are activated by a short kick. The driver selects the P position by pushing a separate button that is integrated in the gear selector lever.
"Hybrid"
The concept car starts by default in Hybrid mode. The Sport Coupé GTE Concept is a classic full hybrid, which charges its battery via regenerative braking and automatically utilises the right combination of TSI and/or electric motors according to the specific drive situation. As soon as the driver releases the accelerator pedal, and the battery is sufficiently charged, all drive sources are shut off and decoupled from the drivetrain. This is a special form of "coasting". Zero emissions are produced in this mode. If the driver releases the accelerator pedal or brakes, and the battery is insufficiently charged, the two electric motors operate as generators and feed the energy recovered from braking into the lithium-ion battery. In this case, the TSI is also shut off and decoupled. When the V6 engine is the sole source of propulsion, the concept car is a pure front-wheel drive car. Thanks to the efficient technologies of the car's TSI engine the Sport Coupé GTE Concept is still very fuel-efficient, even in this drive mode.
"E-Mode"
In E-mode, which the driver activates by button push, only the 85 kW electric motor at the rear axle provides propulsive power. In all-electric driving, the V6 TSI is decoupled from the drivetrain by disengaging the clutch, and it is shut off. As soon as the six-cylinder engine needs to be used again - due to the battery's charge state or other parameters - it is coupled to the drivetrain again within fractions of a second without any jolts. The lithium-ion battery, which has a capacity of 10.7 kWh, is responsible for supplying energy to the electric motors. The power electronics integrated in the front engine compartment manage the flow of high-voltage electricity to and from the battery and the electric motors. The vehicle's 12-Volt electrical system is supplied with electricity via a DC/DC converter. The battery is charged from external electrical sources or while driving.
"GTE"
The driver presses the GTE button to switch to GTE mode, which activates a very dynamic side of the coupé. The accelerator pedal, gearbox and steering characteristics are now even sportier. In GTE mode, the TSI and electric motors also work together in 'boosting' which calls up the full system power and maximum system torque.
Battery Charge / Battery Hold
The dual mode Battery Hold (battery's energy content is kept constant) or Battery Charge (battery is charged while driving) is activated from a submenu of the infotainment system. This mode might be used to intentionally enable all-electric E-mode at an urban destination in order to drive with zero emissions there.
All-wheel drive thanks to "electric propshaft"
As soon as the situation requires it, all four wheels of the Sport Coupé GTE Concept are driven. In this case (and if battery charge is low), the front electric motor - which is now being supplied with kinetic energy via the V6 TSI - acts solely as a generator and a source of electricity for its counterpart at the rear axle. Since the energy for driving the rear axle flows by wire and not mechanically here, this is referred to as an "electric propshaft". Because the TSI drives the rear electric motor via the front electric motor, the all-wheel drive system also operates when the battery's charge state is low.