The decision has already been made to manufacture the production version of the Atlas Cross Sport at Volkswagen’s US plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, together with the seven-seat Atlas and the Passat. Volkswagen will invest around US$340 million in the new SUV’s market launch, in addition to investments of around US$900 million already made to expand the plant for Atlas production.
Like the seven-seat Atlas, the new Atlas Cross Sport five-seater is also based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB). The Atlas Sport Cross impresses with a sporty rear body in coupe style and a plug-in hybrid drive (PHEV) with an all-electric driving range of 70 kilometres (NEDC) or 42 kilometres (EPA). Its high-performance battery can be charged either externally or while driving. A second version of the Atlas Cross Sport has a conventional hybrid drive without an external battery-charging function (HEV). This version can also be driven temporarily in an all-electric mode (electric range approximately 2.5 kilometres). Both models have all-wheel-drive 4MOTION with electric propshaft.
The gasoline-powered model has a 3.6-litre FSI V6. The 6-cylinder engine produces 280hp of power and maximum torque of 350Nm. This engine is assisted by two electric motors in both versions. The front motor develops 40kW and 220Nm, and the rear motor 85kW and 270Nm. It is supplied with energy that comes from a compact lithium-ion battery mounted in the transmission tunnel. Its energy capacity – and this is where the PHEV and HEV differ – is either 18.0kWh (PHEV) or 2.0 kWh (HEV). The total system power of the two drive systems is 360hp for the PHEV version and 314hp for the HEV version. 
Read our review of another “Cross” five-seater SUV, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.
