One of two midsize crossover concepts, the VW Cross Blue Coupe features a plug-in drivetrain.

Hoping to boost its appeal in the expanding crossover market, Volkswagen is weighing the opportunity of putting its two Cross Blue concept vehicles into production in both the U.S. and China, and possibly other markets around the world.

The two well-received show cars could serve to launch a new plug-in hybrid drivetrain, VW officials noted during a discussion in Berlin this week.

Plans are already underway to bring at least one of the crossovers to market, the original Cross Blue midsize crossover that would slip into a niche between the existing, high-end Volkswagen Touareg and the smaller, two-row VW Tiguan. It is likely to go into production at the maker’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee soon after the update of the current Tiguan model in 2015.

The question now being discussed by VW’s senior management is whether to also bring to market a version of the smaller Cross Blue Coupe that was unveiled in concept form earlier in the year. Sales opportunities are now being weighed, according to Dzemal Sjenar, the chief engineer on the project.

The front end of the Cross Blue Coupe Concept's propshaft-by-wire driveline.

Both versions of the Cross Blue are based on the all-new Volkswagen MQB “architecture,” a new platform that will eventually be shared by at least 40 different models, starting with the recently unveiled, seventh-generation VW Golf.

The two concepts also feature a new, two-motor plug-in hybrid system using lithium-ion battery technology. One motor is built into the transmission, the other is fitted to the rear axle to create what Sjenar described as a “Propshaft by Wire” drive. Other makers are studying similar technologies in which electric motors and gas power create a virtual all-wheel-drive system also known as a “throught-the-road hybrid.”

The VW system also uses a 3.6-liter V6 and can produce a combined 295 horsepower, enough to launch the Cross Blue Coupe concept from 0 to 60 in under six seconds, according to its chief engineer.

It is unclear whether the plug-in version will come to the U.S.  A production version of the Cross Blue or Cross Blue Coupe could adopt a more conventional hybrid drivetrain, according to VW officials.

Inside the Cross Blue Coupe concept.

Either model would likely be given a more conventional name in production trim, and some of the more fanciful design details – including the huge, 22-inch wheels of the Coupe Concept – would be toned down. But the basic edginess of the design would be largely carried over, Sjenar suggested.

“The Cross Blue will go into production,” the VW engineer insisted, referring to the big three-row model. And it appears likely it will be added to the Chattanooga plant where Volkswagen currently produces the Passat. The maker would like to build at least two different models in the facility to help balance production as demand rises and falls.

While the current Passat doesn’t use the MQB architecture it is assembled in the same sequence so adding either version of the Cross Blue at the Chattanooga plant would be feasible, Sjenar noted.  The question is whether a separate line would be added alongside the existing Passat line. The alternative would be to essentially double the size of the Chattanooga plant to handle the crossover.  That would sharply boost the potential capacity of the U.S. facility, currently designed to roll out as many as 250,000 vehicles annually.

VW has set a goal of increasing sales in the U.S. sharply before the end of the decade as part of its plan to become the world’s largest automaker. But it is also looking to increase its presence in China where it is already the number one manufacturer.

With sales of crossovers rapidly gaining traction in the Asian nation, the maker could find a good business case to produce both versions of Cross Blue, both three-row and two-row Coupe models, VW officials explained during an interview.