Business / New Models

New Midsize Coupé

(chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-04-19 09:54

Bumpers and air inlets. Under the radiator grille, there is a horizontally oriented area painted in body colour, and beneath this comes the central lower air inlet. On its sides, the air inlet is bordered by two diagonal aerodynamic elements that run to the outer edges and form smaller air inlets in front of the front wheels, one each on the left and right. In all three air inlets, there are aerodynamically optimised wing-like cross fins that are finished in high-gloss black; integrated in each of them are brushed aluminium fins. Their visual effect is to further emphasise the width of the New Midsize Coupé. The front end is given an unmistakable look by a chrome strip that frames the lower air inlets – its two sections begin on the left and right sides of the painted central area of the bumper, and they run outwards. The chrome strip is more than a decorative element: at its outer ends it houses the LED indicators. Stylistically, this wrap-around strip creates a strong bracket that emphasises the charismatic contour of the front end. No other car in this segment has such an impressive, wide and sporty appearance as the New Midsize Coupé.

Side profile. The designers also styled the side profile in an extremely powerful way. Striking here are the roof line at the top with just two side windows and the fast, coupé-like C-pillars that sweep back towards the rear. Another sports car trait is the passenger cabin that is set far back; this emphasises the long bonnet and the proportionately short boot lid. Another perfect example of high-class Volkswagen Design is the shoulder section of the concept car. It runs on two levels; the upper of these two levels develops a narrow line from the C-pillar to below the window sill; it broadens as it moves forward and finally forms a v-shaped contour in the bonnet and front wings – expressing pure power and elegance. Meanwhile, the lower of the two levels begins at the front of the car as a very narrow line that represents the upper limit of what is known as the tornado line; it then runs over the wheel arch flare and becomes increasingly broader towards the rear, forming the powerful shoulders of the rear body.

Precise character line. Positioned on what is known as the character line are the door handles, which also adopt the extremely precise modulation. This integration of the door handles is extremely complex; it is a masterful achievement of production technology, and this represents a unique selling point of Volkswagen. On the lower side body, there is another line, and beneath it the striking design of the side sill that is finished entirely in metal. The interplay of these lines and modulation of surfaces produce an exceptionally athletic car body design. Last but not least, the 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels with 245/40 low profile tyres completely fill the wheel housings and give the car the image of a sports car in side profile. The inner surfaces of the machine-polished wheels are painted black. The outer wheel surfaces include segments painted in “Dragon Red” body colour, so that as soon as the New Midsize Coupé begins to move, this small cluster creates the visual effect of a circular band in body colour.

Rear section. Like the front and sides of the car, the rear body merges the forms of a coupé with those of a saloon. The crisp design of the boot lid features a rear spoiler that is uniformly integrated into the design and terminates with a distinctive dual edge: at the top, the designers created an aerodynamic trailing edge that optimises the downforce at the rear axle. At the bottom, there is a light refracting edge that lowers the visual centre of gravity of the rear body. On the next level, there is another line in the middle of the boot lid at the height of the VW badge, which extends into the rear lights and emphasises the width of the New Midsize Coupé.

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