2010 Detroit Auto Show: Volkswagen NCC Concept

With the NCC concept Volkswagen continued its trend of offering up beautiful showcars at the North American International Auto Show - a trend established by last year's stunning BlueSport Concept.

But where last year's little convertible was conceptual in nature, the NCC - which stands for New Compact Coupe - is really a thinly disguised version of what's going to be one of the best looking production coupes at any price. If you imagine the car relinquishing its low ride height, sitting on slightly smaller diameter wheels, and sporting less exotic rear view mirrors, you'll have a pretty clear picture of Volkswagen's likely next big hit - although company officials were tight-lipped about the NCC's production possibilities.

Motivated in concept form by a hybrid power-plant consisting of a 1.4-liter, turbocharged inline-4 producing 150 hp, and a 20-kilowatt electric motor for a total system output of 177 hp, any production version of this coupe would likely share drivetrains with the Jetta and Golf models. And while Volkswagen’s first hybrid powertrain is newsworthy on its own, the bigger story here remains the cars styling and its position in the market place.

Offering up style and presence similar to BMW's venerable 3-series coupe at a significantly lower price point, the NCC follows the same formula that produced the sexy Volkswagen CC - essentially a less-costly rendition of the 4-door coupe-pioneering Mercedes-Benz CLS.

Evolving VW's current design language with crisp, clean lines, simple yet sophisticated surfacing, excellent front and rear graphics and most importantly, spot-on proportions, the Volkswagen NCC concept garnered a ton of attention for its great looks. Congratulations to VW Chief Designer, Klaus Bischoff and to JC and Marco Pavone, the twin brothers responsible for the outstanding design of the NCC concept... our OnCars Best of Show.

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