Volkswagen offered a first glimpse of what’s to come next week in Beijing with the first official sketches of two vehicles that will be formally unveiled at Auto China 2014. The hottest of this duo is the Volkswagen Golf R 400 Concept. Based on the new Golf R Hatchback, it packs a hotter 395-horspower (that’s 400 PS-style ponies) version of the production model’s 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine backed by a DSG automated manual gearbox. Heading to the pavement through all four wheels, that motive force is sufficient to slice a full second off of the 0-60 mph time — which drops to 3.9 seconds — and let the R 400 Concept top out at 174 mph.
Also: 2014 New York Auto Show – All the New Cars
Slightly tamer in character but introducing its own sense of aggressively elegant style, the Volkswagen New Midsize Coupe Concept reportedly previews an upscale 4-door compact model intended specifically for the Chinese market. Based on VW’s MQB modular platform architecture created under the supervision Volkswagen head designer Klaus Bischoff, the car is shorter than a Jetta but wider than a Passat. A sweeping roofline, short overhangs, prominently flared fenders and 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 245/40 tires impart more than a hint of sportiness while a 220-horsepower turbocharged TSI 4-cylinder gasoline engine allows the New Midsize Coupe Concept to hit 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds and gives it a 152-mph top speed.
More Concept Cars…
A version of Kia’s hot GT4 Stinger Concept could be headed to production
The Mini John Works Cooper Concept previews an ultimate "new-gen" hardtop
Nissan’s Sport Sedan Concept is a precursor of the next-gen Maxima
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