VW turns up design so crossovers will hit right note in U.S.

WOLFSBURG, Germany -- The next crop of Volkswagens coming to the U.S. will bare their teeth and flex their muscles to convey a more aggressive design message aimed at American consumers.

They also will include a new small crossover with a footprint similar to the Golf hatchback, VW executives say, that could arrive in the U.S. in late 2017.

The new design strategy is the result of a more market-focused approach that is forcing Volkswagen to venture beyond the conservative styling that has worked so well for it in Europe and China but failed to inspire much passion for the brand in the U.S., where it has been present for more than 65 years.

Take the new midsize crossover that VW is preparing to build at its Chattanooga factory. At nearly 200 inches long and more than 78 inches wide, it's the largest vehicle VW ever has designed, similar in size and proportion to the Audi Q7, says Klaus Bischoff, chief designer for the VW brand.

The still-unnamed crossover borrows many design elements from the Cross Coupe GTE concept shown at the Detroit auto show, including the notch-tooth grille, creased hood and a sharp-angled character line that runs from the fenders through the beltline. Detail work such as intricate headlights that integrate structural elements that begin from the grille, and metal side vents below the A-pillars, are almost Audi-like in their execution.

"This has to be bold. It has to be a statement," Bischoff said during a tour of Valhalla, as Volkswagen's design studio here is known, for Automotive News and a few other media.

No photography was allowed inside VW's closely guarded studio, but the sheet metal of each vehicle on display clearly indicated that VW is entering a new phase of more expressive design, a break from the more conservative look of the U.S. Passat and Jetta.

In addition to the new midsize crossover, VW showed final production versions of the redesigned Tiguan compact crossover arriving stateside in 2017 and the freshened Passat due out later this year.

Bischoff says VW needed to step up its design game to stand out in the U.S., where the brand's 2 percent market share pales compared with the double-digit shares it holds in Europe, China and other major markets.

Since Martin Winterkorn took the helm as CEO of Volkswagen AG in 2007, Bischoff says, VW has adopted a more market-specific approach to design, with more consumer clinics and feedback from dealers in overseas markets during the design process.

For example, designers were sent back to the drawing board after feedback from U.S. consumer clinics indicated that the front face of the midsize crossover needed to be more sheared and imposing than the downward-sloping front end on an early iteration of the vehicle, Bischoff said.

"The competition is brutal, and we are not allowed to bring cars into production that do not win clinic testing," Bischoff said. "This car has to be the best."

VW is aiming two more crossovers at the U.S. in coming years: a long-wheelbase version of its redesigned Tiguan, arriving in 2017, and the new small crossover to slot below it. Winterkorn was quoted this month by German newspaper Die Welt as saying that the automaker will follow up the midsize crossover with a smaller SUV that will be "Golf-based."

The smaller offering would share the overall proportions and size of the T-Roc concept shown at the 2014 Geneva show and would compete with new subcompact crossovers such as the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V.

Bischoff acknowledged that U.S. market tastes were a big factor in the small crossover's design. He declined to say when such a vehicle would debut, but asked about its progress, Bischoff said, "It's done."

The redesigned Tiguan on display at Valhalla retains the overall proportions of its predecessor but with updated lines, plus shorter front and longer rear overhangs. Wheel arches are rounded compared with the hard angles seen on the midsize crossover, but some themes are shared, including wraparound taillight designs and grille execution. It grows 2.2 inches in length to 176.7 inches.

The larger Tiguan coming to the U.S., meanwhile, stretches to 184.6 inches long, Bischoff said, creating more cargo room and addressing a shortcoming of the current Tiguan that repelled some U.S. buyers.

The freshened Passat is also a substantial change from the model on sale now, with all-new sheet metal from the A-pillar forward, including a new hood, fenders, grille design and headlights. Taillights are also new.

The major midcycle update reflects VW's recognition that design changes, not just new powertrains or content improvements, fuel demand in the U.S.

The more Euro-centric approach has "been our philosophy for a long time," Bischoff said. That approach, he added, "while successful in Europe, does not seem to be the remedy for the rest of the world."