The biggest news from Volkswagen at Detroit concerned a car that isn’t here.

The CrossBlue concept, a large SUV which VW North America regards as vital if it is to hit its 2018 target of 800,000 sales a year, has been confirmed for production.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The CrossBlue was unveiled at the same venue 12 months ago, and VW’s American sales people could barely contain their excitement at the possibility of adding it to their line-up. It is a car which would primarily be for the US market although China and Russia are two other countries which could be interested.

It is still to be decided where the production version will be made, but it will be in one of VW’s North American plants – Chattanooga, Tennessee or Puebla, Mexico. Unlike Chattanooga, Puebla is already equipped to build the platform which will underpin it but the plant is currently working to capacity.

VW sold only 476,000 cars in the US last year, hampered mainly by the ageing Jetta and Passat and the absence of the latest Golf. The new Golf arrives this year but is a relatively small volume car in the US. The CrossBlue, a seven seat family SUV larger than the Touareg, would make a major contribution towards VW hitting its 800,000 sales target.

The new cars on display at Detroit include a Passat BlueMotion powered not by a diesel engine but by a variant of the 1.4 TFSI unit, and the Beetle Dune concept, a raised and more rugged version of the latest VW Bug. VW says it is production-ready, but its prospects will depend on whether it could pay for itself.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.