Volkswagen CC to Go Diesel?

The new 2009 Volkswagen CC could eventually get a diesel engine, according to product planners speaking at the sedan's introduction to the press today in Atlanta.

Brett Scott, product planner for Volkswagen's trucks and mid-size cars, says when it comes to a diesel version of the new coupe-like four-door, the company is "certainly looking at it," though it's not currently in the product plan. In the short term, VW is working on adding engine detail to the badging on the new CC: the four-cylinder versions will be badged "CC 2.0," for example.

Volkswagen's mid-size offerings are due to expand in the medium term. The company will open the doors to a new assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2011. That plant will have a capacity of 250,000 vehicles when it's fully up to speed. VW plans to build a new mid-size sedan there, and intends to export it around the world, in addition to sales in the U.S. That new sedan accounts for about half the plant's intended volume; VW isn't saying yet what other vehicles might be built at the plant, though a minivan or a large crossover vehicle sharing the sedan's architecture seems logical.

The new CC--for "comfort coupe"--is derived from today's Passat sedan. With the same mechanicals, a similar choice of four- and six-cylinder engines, front- and all-wheel drive, the CC is also priced similarly to the Passat. VW planners, though, feel the coupe-like shape will bring in an altogether different set of buyers than the more formal-roofed Passat sedan. Prices start from just under $27,000 for a six-speed manual CC. 2009 Volkswagen CCEnlarge PhotoThe new 2009 Volkswagen CC could eventually get a diesel engine, according to product planners speaking at the sedan's introduction to the press today in Atlanta. Brett Scott, product planner for Volkswagen's trucks and mid-size cars, says when it comes to a diesel version of the new coupe-like four-door, the company is "certainly looking at it," though it's not currently in the product plan. In the short term, VW is working on adding engine detail to the badging on the new CC: the four-cylinder versions will be badged "CC 2.0," for example. Volkswagen's mid-size offerings are due to expand in the medium term. The company will open the doors to a new assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2011. That plant will have a capacity of 250,000 vehicles when it's fully up to speed. VW plans to build a new mid-size sedan there, and intends to export it around the world, in addition to sales in the U.S. That new sedan accounts for about half the plant's intended volume; VW isn't saying yet what other vehicles might be built at the plant, though a minivan or a large crossover vehicle sharing the sedan's architecture seems logical. The new CC--for "comfort coupe"--is derived from today's Passat sedan. With the same mechanicals, a similar choice of four- and six-cylinder engines, front- and all-wheel drive, the CC is also priced similarly to the Passat. VW planners, though, feel the coupe-like shape will bring in an altogether different set of buyers than the more formal-roofed Passat sedan. Prices start from just under $27,000 for a six-speed manual CC.