A four-door sedan is a four-door sedan regardless of the height and styling of the roof but automakers had to find some way to market their sportier looking saloons so they coined the somewhat ambiguous term “four-door coupe”.
Among the many cars to sprout from this sub-segment are Audi’s A5 and A7 Sportback models, BMW’s 6-Series Gran Coupe and of course, the founding Mercedes-Benz CLS.
In all cases, form takes priority over function as these saloons are merely more stylish and more often than not, less spacious and practical versions of the regular four-door models they are based on.
VW was the first mainstream manufacturer to introduce a four-door coupe with the Passat CC, which after its recent facelift, goes by the name of CC. Now the German carmaker plans to add a second, smaller model to its line-up of sporty sedans.
According to a report from Autoweek, Volkswagen is entertaining the idea of building a smaller CC based on the next generation of the Jetta. It bears the internal designation SC (for “Sports Coupe”) and if built, it would ride on the VW Group’s modular MQB platform.
“Our research suggests there is an increasing market for a sportier and more stylish version of the Jetta in the mold of the CC, only smaller and more affordable”, said a VW source familiar with the project.
The SC name might indeed be the new model’s official name. VW’s new car won’t be the only compact four-door sedan in the market: premium “sister” Audi has already previewed the sedan version of the brand-new A3 and Mercedes-Benz is currently testing the CLC, which is the CLS’s little brother that could be unveiled in concept form as early as the upcoming Beijing Motor Show in April.
Story References: Autoweek via Worldcarfans
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