Hang on; haven't we seen this before?
Not quite no. This is yet another in the long-running saga of Volkswagen winding up for a big SUV for the US market. And it's also a good look at the shape of the next Tiguan.
What is it then?
It's the Cross Coupé GTE concept and it's set to be the over-arching corporate style for all of Volkswagen's SUVs and crossovers including the new Touareg, the Tiguan and the big US 4x4, which will be built in a massive factory in Tennessee.
Underneath it's riding on the now-ubiquitous MQB chassis that is already running under everything from the Golf to the Passat.
Propulsion, for the concept at any rate, comes from a 355hp plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which mixes power from two electric motors and a 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine. Volkswagen already has plug-in powertrains on sale with the Audi A3 etron and Golf GTE but this is the first concrete evidence of an expansion of the plug-in line-up.
The interior takes a lot of cues from the Golf R Touch concept that was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week including the 10.3-inch gesture-controlled infotainment screen and 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, which are destined for production, and blue-tinted Nappa leather, which probably isn't.
Actually, aside from the styling, the most significant thing about this concept for European buyers is that it shows how big the new Tiguan is going to be - growing up from the current crossover-sized car to compete in size with the likes of the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe.
Neil Briscoe - 11 Jan 2015