Beijing 2014: Volkswagen NMC concept revealed

The Volkswagen NMC – New Midsize Coupé – concept unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show, previews a new Jetta-based model and will be positioned beneath the CC model in the Volkswagen line-up.

Volkswagen’s New Midsize Coupé makes official the German carmaker’s plans for a style-led sedan to challenge the likes of the very popular Mercedes-Benz CLA.

Volkswagen design boss Klaus Bischoff describes the NMC as “avant-garde protagonist for a new compact sedan class”. The new NMC continues the Volkswagen design lineage, with crisp feature lines, heavily horizontal detailing and taut surfacing – all aimed at providing it with a technical-inspired appearance.

A simple grille and LED headlamps span the width of the front end, giving the new car clear family ties to other recent new Volkswagen models. In a bid to provide it with added sportiness, VW designers have taken inspiration from the CC in providing the NMC with a heavily curved roofline, frameless doors and notchback style rear.

At 4597mm in length, 1838mm in width and 1422mm in height, the NMC is 48mm shorter, 58mm wider and 58mm lower than the existing Jetta, with which the production version is expected to share the 2650m wheelbase. By comparison, the CLA measures 4630mm in length, 1777mm in width and 1432mm in height, while riding on a 2699mm wheelbase.

The Volkswagen design team has provided the Volkswagen NMC with towering 20-inch wheels shod with 245/40 profile rubber for the show in Beijing. The concept at Beijing motor show is powered by the same 217bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine as the seventh-generation Golf GTI, in an indication that the production version of the NMC will offer more than adequate performance. Underpinning the Mercedes-Benz CLA-rivaling sedan will be Volkswagen’s versatile MQB platform.

Volkswagen claims that the NMC boasts of similar levels of interior accommodation to the Jetta, with room for five adults. Its claimed 500 litres of boot space is just 10 litres less than that offered by its more conventional four door sibling.

The transversely mounted unit places its power to the road via a seven-speed dual clutch auto gearbox, providing the front-wheel-drive sedan with a theoretical 0-100kph time of 6.5sec and 245kph top speed.

The production version of the NMC is set to roll out of both, the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico and a joint venture factory in China.