VW sedan that wants to be a coupe

Volkswagen has provided the first sneak peek of its upcoming 'four-door coupe' that's due to launch internationally next year.

Dubbed simply the Coupe, the new Veedub derives its inspiration from the low-slung Mercedes-Benz CLS, but it will be thrust into a lower market segment -- its chief opposition will be the BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Rumours of a Volkswagen sedan-cum-coupe have been circulating for some time, but these pics provide the first tangible evidence that such a project is, indeed, in the works.

The images you see here appear on a new VW microsite that invites potential customers in nine EU states to register an interest in the car.

The Coupe's launch will further broaden Volkswagen's burgeoning product line-up, which already includes a huge range of body styles. Bear in mind that we don't even see models such as the Fox, Golf Plus, Touran and Phaeton.

All these models are available in Europe, and the recent addition of the Tiguan means the Wolfsburg marque has an entrant in virtually every segment.

The Coupe is likely to feature many familiar VW design cues, but expect a much bolder profile, courtesy of the heavily tapered roofline.

It will be underpinned by essentially the same platform as the Passat and engine choices will include the 147kW turbo four from the Golf GTI, as well as the 184kW 3.2-litre V6 from the R32. The latter will come with 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

The car will debut (at least in 'concept' form) in the first half of next year -- at either the Detroit or Geneva motor shows -- and it should be on sale in Europe by the latter half of 2008.

Euro sources suggest the Coupe is one of three models sent back to the drawing board by new company supremo Martin Winterkorn.

A senior VW insider revealed to The Carsales Network at the recent Tiguan international launch (more here) that Winterkorn had also ordered a redesign of the upcoming next-generation Golf.

The insider said that Winterkorn wanted the Mark VI Golf to recapture the essence of the iconic first-gen car -- this means round headlights and somewhat boxy, squared-off lines. Remember, you read it here first...

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