Volkswagen has a busy 2010 planned and has kicked it off with this very attractive Compact Coupe concept at the Detroit Auto Show that gives a strong indication of how the new Mk6 Jetta will look. If produced, it could also open a new segment to VW currently owned by BMW.

Just as the Passat CC presents people with an affordable  Mercedes-styled coupe, so this Jetta-based Compact Coupe could tap into the BMW market, offering a cut-price 1- or 3-Series alternative to a younger audience. Powered by a 2.0T with 200hp, the VW coupe would make a great performance alternative to the RWD coupes from Munich.

You could also argue that a Jetta Coupe would make a great halo model for the Jetta range. The four-door Jetta could perhaps account for the 2.5-liter and TDI variants, with the Coupe taking the more sporty 2.0T powerplant.

The Jetta platform underpinning the concept is new. The wheelbase is 104.3”, making it about 3” longer than the current Mk5 Jetta, but the overall length of 179” is similar. Expect the grille to change and extra doors to be added when the Mk6 Jetta begins production later this year.

The concept’s Compact Coupe name is very similar to the current Passat-based CC (Comfort Coupe) model, and suggests VW’s marketing dept is running short on ideas, but fortunately its designers are not. This handsome coupe is the closest to a production model that we’ve seen from VW for some time and hints that VW is serious about creating even more niche models. But whether the Jetta Coupe will be reborn – it was last seen on the Mk2 chassis – has apparently yet to be decided. VW is said to be  “evaluating response” to the concept. However, it is currently thought unlikely that a Jetta Coupe will reach production when VW already has the Scirocco, Eos and CC in the same realm.

To make the Detroit concept more newsworthy, it’s been given a hybrid drivetrain that boasts 45mpg (US) although European sources are quoting 56mpg (US) on a combined economy cycle. This is allied to exceptional CO2 emissions of 98g/km.
To emphasize its performance credentials, the Compact Coupe is said to hit a top speed of 41mph and sprint 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds.

This was made feasible by the alliance of VW’s 150hp 1.4 liter TSI engine, a 27hp electric motor and a seven-speed DSG transmission. Our only concern is that 45mpg is already being exceeded by VW’s Jetta TDI Bluemotion model, without the expense of the hybrid technology, but it can’t achieve the same performance levels.

The hybrid technology will soon be applied to VW’s first hybrid production model – a Touareg SUV – that will be on sale later this year.

The concept car was styled by a team led by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design, and overseen by Walter de Silva. It features intricate bi-xenon headlights, 19” Lugano wheels and an aerodynamically efficient grille. Inside there are four sculpted bucket seats finished in ‘Berry White’ leather, with PAssat CC-style horizontal-stitched panels.