NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Volkswagen shows off Cross Coupe

Volkswagen will build a sportier new version of the boxy seven-seat Atlas SUV, it has confirmed.

The Cross Sport concept, which debuted in New York last night, is headed for production in markets around the world (but not Europe or Australia) next year.

Pointedly, it will only be a five-seater, where its bigger brother is a seven-seat versatile people-carrier.

Effectively, it's a lower-priced philosophical cousin for BMW’s X6, with far sportier proportions and a more aggressive front-end.

It also previews a soon-for-production plug-in hybrid powertrain, which will sit atop the Atlas range to deliver the low-end torque the naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6’s 350Nm can’t manage today.

It will add two electric motors to the powertrain, with a 45kW/220Nm motor mounted at the front and a 85kW/270Nm at the rear combining to deliver 265kW of power and 670Nm of torque, which is far more like it.

While the rear-mounted electric motor solely drives the rear axle, the front motor sits inside the six-speed dual-clutch transmission to drive the front wheels.

It will come with the ability to be driven all-electrically, as a zero-emission car, for 42km or as a hybrid with all three motors working in concert.

Volkswagen refuses to give a kerb weight for the Cross Sport, but it should be less than 1900kg, even with the hybrid’s extra 18kWh lithium-ion battery.

It is strong enough now that Volkswagen claims it will reach 100km/h in only 5.4 seconds to justify the 'Sport' part of its name.

It will be built alongside the Atlas in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for both North American and export markets, though both are likely to have to make room for the Tanoak pick-up at some point in the near future.

Its motor show “concept” car profile delivered an illuminated Volkswagen badge that doubles as a daytime-running light, with 22-inch wheels filling its arches.

There is a bit of Audi A3 in its raked C-pillar, too, with an aero-aiding spoiler built in to the top of its tailgate as Volkswagen sought to take advantage of the shorter 2890mm wheelbase.

At 4847mm, it’s 190mm shorter than the Atlas, though it’s 41mm wider at 2030mm and 42mm lower at 1736 to accentuate its sporting credentials.