2013 CC PRESS KIT

08/10/2012

Volkswagen

For the 2013 Model Year, the CC gains new front and rear styling and an extended range of standard equipment that includes Bi-Xenon headlights and LED taillights. The new CC makes an even bolder move towards the automotive luxury class, offering a sleek, dramatic look at a highly attainable base price of $30,610. With its sweeping roofline, dramatic body detailing, low-to-the-ground stance, and elegant frameless side windows, the Volkswagen CC offers expressive, head-turning design for the cost of a traditional sedan.

When the Volkswagen CC debuted four years ago, it was the first affordably priced four-door coupe on sale in the U.S. What looked at first like a niche has developed into a completely new segment: more than 270,000 people around the world have bought a sedan that has the looks and heart of a sports car. The CC mixes practicality with style and attainability.

Design

The design team, led by Klaus Bischoff, head of design for the Volkswagen brand, reworked the 2013 CC's front and rear body sections. As a result of the changes, the Volkswagen CC looks even more elegant while also appearing more muscular. New aluminum-alloy wheels and exterior colors complement other exterior modifications.

"Volkswagen DNA": At the front of the car, one's eye is drawn to the new radiator grille, Bi-Xenon headlights, and the hood design. The entire area comprised of the new front bumper, headlights, and radiator grille exhibits clean lines that correspond more closely to Volkswagen's "design DNA" styling than previously. This DNA is marked by such characteristics as an emphasis on horizontal lines and precise harmony between the headlights and radiator grille. The latter is no longer designed as a separate "V" framed by body-color pieces, but is instead formed as a visually continuous band together with the headlights. Like the Passat, the new CC also has an extra air intake beneath the bumper. The foglights are housed inside "winglets" that are integrated in this intake.

The striking new headlights feature Bi-Xenon technology. LED Daytime Running Lights are integrated in the headlight design and the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS)-which turns the beams by up to 15 degrees around corners for increased visibility-is also featured.

Despite its unique shape, the front end makes it clear that the CC belongs to a global brand family. The radiator grille has three chrome bars that bear a styling resemblance to the Passat. Like the previous model, the CC is produced at Volkswagen's plant in Emden, Germany.

Sharpened silhouette: Although the frameless doors of the CC are unmodified, the side profile shows a new look, too. Several factors are at work here: up front, the more powerful hood design interplays with the new bumper to sharpen the car's silhouette. Meanwhile, the more sculpted side sills between the wheel housings stand out, making a greater visual connection between the front and rear bumpers.

More visual tension: At the rear, the bumper was given greater volume, enhancing the swoopy nature of the coupe-like C-pillars and the very long, swept-back rear window. The entire rear section now shows more geometric surfaces and a greater emphasis on horizontal lines. The new taillights fit this new design theme, finishing with a horizontal sweep at their lower ends. In contrast to the previous model, the new rear lights have LED elements that respond quickly, use less energy, and are longer lived. The distinctive look of these lights makes the CC unmistakable from the rear, day or night. The license plate is illuminated with LED lighting too. There are two new colors for 2013: Black Oak Brown and Fortana Red.

Compared with the Sport model, the R-Line gains a more aggressive front bumper design that incorporates a large lower air intake and projector-style foglights that have a striking chrome motif. Side skirts and the R-Line logo on the grille further differentiate it from the Sport model, along with unique and dramatic 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.

Interior

The CC's cabin is as stylish and design-led as its bold exterior. Each CC model features a blend of luxurious materials, rich textures, and intuitive controls. All the seats can be covered in V-Tex Leatherette or leather and are available in both solid and two-tone color schemes. The front seats are heatable and come with standard 12-way power adjustment, with four-way power lumbar and adjustment for height. Electronic seat ventilation is included on the front seats of the VR6(R) 4Motion(R) Executive model.

Up front, a leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel features integrated controls for the CC's multimedia system. The gauges are surrounded by chrome trim, which extends through the CC Sport range, while the CC 2.0T Lux and VR6 models feature either full brushed aluminum or engineered ebony trim. The R-Line will feature stainless-steel R-Line scuff plates, while the multifunction steering wheel for the DSG-equipped model has paddle shifters.

New standard interior features include front head restraints that adjust fore-and-aft as well as up-and-down. In this new design, the head restraint can be pulled forward and, because it lies closer to the head, further helps reduce the risk of whiplash in a crash.

All CCs feature the Climatronic(R) automatic climate control system. Typical of the attention to detail in the CC, the system features a humidity sensor located near the rear-view mirror. This measures air humidity and controls the Climatronic system to help prevent condensation and maintain the relative humidity in the passenger compartment at a pleasant level. Another benefit of the system is that the humidity sensor permits operation of the air conditioning compressor only when needed.

A variety of entertainment options are available with the CC. The 2.0T Sport comes with a touchscreen Premium VIII sound system with HD radio, eight speakers, a six-disc CD changer, SD memory card reader, AUX-in for portable audio players, and SiriusXM(TM) Satellite Radio with 3-month trial subscription. Bluetooth(R) connectivity and Media Device Interface (MDI) with an iPod(R) cable are also standard. The 2.0T Sport Plus, R-Line, and 2.0T Lux have VW's RNS 315 navigation system.

For the flagship VR6 4MOTION model, there's a remarkable Dynaudio(R) premium sound system, with 10-speakers (four tweeters, two midrange, four woofers) powered by a 600-watt amplifier and Digital Sound Processor (DSP) technology. This model also has Volkswagen's sophisticated RNS 510 navigation system that features a 6.5-inch color touchscreen, a 30GB hard disk, SiriusXM Traffic with a four-year subscription, and rearview camera display.

To add to the versatility and flexibility of the CC, the rear seatback is split 60/40 and folds forward to connect the trunk to the cabin to increase load space. There's also a pass-through behind the armrest to accommodate longer items, like skis. Another new interior feature is remote latching for the rear seatback. Levers mounted under the rear shelf on the right and left sides of the trunk make it easy to unlatch both sections of the split seatback. The trunk itself has a capacity of 13.2 cubic feet.

Engines and Transmissions

The CC once again features the award-winning, 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI(R) four-cylinder engine that generates 200 horsepower and the 3.6-liter narrow-angle VR6 engine that produces 280 horsepower.

All 2.0-liter models are front-wheel drive. The 2.0-liter engine is mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG(R) dual-clutch automatic transmission. The six-speed transversely-mounted DSG unit features two wet clutches with hydraulic pressure regulation. One clutch controls the 'odd' gears-first, third, fifth, and reverse-while the other operates the even gears. With DSG, the set-up allows the next-higher gear to be engaged, but remain on standby until it is actually selected. In other words, if the CC is being driven in third gear, fourth is selected but not yet activated. As soon as the ideal shift point is reached, the clutch on the third-gear side opens, the other clutch closes and fourth gear engages under accurate electronic supervision.

Since the opening and closing actions of the two clutches overlap, a smooth gearshift results and the entire shift process is completed in less than four-hundredths of a second. In addition to its fully automatic shift mode, DSG has a Tiptronic(R) function to permit manual gear selection. Mated to the manual transmission, the 2.0T achieves EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 21 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.

The VR6 engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic shifting and paddle shifters, driving through all four wheels. Producing 265 lb-ft of torque, the 3.6-liter VR6 offers refined, responsive performance. The EPA estimated fuel economy numbers are 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

Suspension

All 2012 CC models are equipped with a sport-tuned suspension to satisfy the driver looking for lively, involving handling coupled with a smooth, comfortable ride for daily driving.

Up front, there's a strut-type suspension with coil springs and telescopic dampers, low-mounted lightweight forged-aluminum control arms, and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, the CC has a compact multilink coil-sprung suspension with upper and lower transverse arms and a longitudinal link on each side to control wheel location. It's a sophisticated arrangement that helps deliver controllable, dynamic handling with a comfortable ride and reduced body roll.

The rear suspension components are mounted in a subframe made of high-tensile steel to help reduce weight and increase rigidity. The subframe is also acoustically decoupled from CC's bodyshell to significantly lessen road noise and vibration.

An electro-mechanical, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system with variable speed assistance helps ensure driver confidence. Advantages of the system include its mild self-centering action, its ability to help compensate for different driving hazards such as crosswinds and steep road cambers as it dispenses with the usual engine-driven pump.

Braking is controlled by the CC's Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with a special wiping feature that helps keeps the discs dry and clean for quicker response in the wet. The Sport and Lux CC models are fitted with 12.3-inch vented discs up front, and solid 11.1-inch rotors for the rear. The VR6 model moves up to 13.4-inch vented discs for the front and 12.0-inch solid rotors at the back.

4Motion all-wheel drive

The flagship CC model comes standard with Volkswagen's proven 4Motion all-wheel-drive system for even more dynamic handling and true all-weather traction.

The system delivers drive to all four wheels without any buttons to press or levers to pull. A Haldex(R) center differential can continuously vary the drive force between the front and rear axles depending on the traction available. When accelerating hard from standstill, for example, front-wheel slip is prevented by the system's ability to direct nearly 100 percent of the drive torque to the rear wheels.

The 4Motion system also offers an extremely high standard of active safety, providing sure-footed traction over virtually all surfaces, as well as optimum straight-line stability, even in crosswinds.

Safety and Security

Supporting every element of the CC's striking design is an impressive collection of active and passive safety features-features that earned the 2.0T CC the coveted Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) Top Safety Pick rating for 2012. The annual award recognizes those vehicles that perform best in protecting passengers in the Institute's front, side and rear crash test evaluations, and the newly-required roof-strength test evaluations.

Safety and security in the CC starts with a strong, rigid, laser-seam-welded bodyshell and crash-optimized, energy-absorbing front end. For those inside, there's the protection of a suite of airbags that includes front and side thorax airbags from the driver and front seat passenger, and Side Curtain Protection(R) head airbags for those in both the front and rear seats. Three-point safety belts have belt-force limiters for all the seats.

A number of aids and enhancements work seamlessly with the CC's drivetrain and suspension to help get the car and its occupants to their destination safely. They include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), and Engine Braking Assist (EBA).

Every CC also includes the advanced Volkswagen Intelligent Crash Response System that shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazard warning lights if the car is involved in certain types of collisions.

And for real peace of mind, the CC, like every Volkswagen, is covered under the no-charge Carefree Maintenance Program. All scheduled maintenance is covered for the length of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty-three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

Model Line-up

Each 2013 CC model comes exceptionally well-equipped. Once the R-Line model goes on sale, there will be five different versions of the CC.

Model Range

2.0T Sport

The 2.0T Sport with Lighting Package provides entry to the 2012 CC model range at a base price of $30,610. Standard equipment includes new 17-inch "Verme" alloy wheels with all-season self-sealing tires; Bi-Xenon headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights and the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS); LED taillights; LED license-plate illumination; rain-sensing windshield wipers; Climatronic automatic climate-control; heated 12-way power front seats; touchscreen Premium VIII sound system with HD Radio, eight speakers, and a six-disc CD changer; Bluetooth technology; iPod connectivity; V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces; and Titanium Silver interior trim. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual with the option of a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic.

2.0T Sport Plus

This is a new model in the CC lineup, starting at $32,850. It adds stylish new 18-inch "Mallory" wheels with all-season 235/40 tires and the RNS 315 navigation system. The six-speed dual-clutch DSG is the only transmission offered.

2.0T R-Line(R)

The popular R-Line will again be offered, tailored to the new CC design, early in 2013. The 2.0T R Line takes the Sport features and heightens the CC's performance styling with unique 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels; a more aggressive front bumper treatment; side skirts; and R-Line door sill plates. The multifunction steering wheel features paddle shifters for the optional dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission. Pricing will be announced closer to market introduction.

2.0T Lux

The 2.0T Lux comes standard with the six-speed DSG automatic transmission. Its additional standard features over Sport Plus include new 18-inch "St Louis" five-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels; dark brushed-aluminum interior trim; a power-tinted-glass sunroof; and ambient lighting. It starts at $35,355.

VR6 4Motion Executive

The VR6 4Motion Executive Lux features the 280-hp, 3.6-liter VR6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion all-wheel drive. The base price is $41,420. Compared with the 2.0T Lux, it adds a headlight washer system with heated nozzles; a rearview camera; the RNS 510 navigation system that features a 6.5-inch touchscreen; Sirius Traffic with a four-year subscription; Sirius Travel Link with a three-month trial subscription; leather seating surfaces; "Interlagos" 18-inch wheels; Tiptronic paddle shifters; front seats with ventilation and driver's seat with massage function; Park Distance Control with front and rear proximity sensors; rearview backup camera; Dynaudio Premium Sound System; a power rear sunshade; memory seating and mirrors; and engineered ebony trim.

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