Could this sketch be the updated Volkwagen CC? That's what some think after VW released this drawing.

With the Geneva Motor Show barely a week away, automakers are jockeying for position, offering up teasers of the products they plan to unveil in what’s expected to be a record number of debuts.

Volkswagen is saving the big news for a lavish event scheduled for the night before the official Geneva media preview, but the German maker is whetting our appetite with a pair of sketches showing a four-door coupe concept design that some are speculating will be the next-generation VW CC, the sportiest version of the big Passat sedan.

With the current CC model approaching the end of its lifecycle, that could mean we’ll be seeing a production version reaching showrooms as early as 2017. How much different the street model might be remains to be seen.

The basic shape follows that of the current CC, with a fastback design that offers more drama than the roomy but staid Passat. There are some indications Volkswagen might go with a hatchback design this time, more along the lines of the Audi A7, a possibility enhanced by the fact that the two models will be sharing platforms in the years ahead.

Volkswagen gave everyone an early look at a four-door coupe it's bringing to the Geneva Motor Show.

The as yet-unnamed concept adopts – in the sketch – a squat and dynamic shape, with a broad grille whose slats extend to frame what appear to be LED headlights and daytime running lamps.

Though it offered little detail on the new concept, VW did suggest we’re getting a look at a new design language that will be adopted across the brand. For years, the German makers has favored relatively simple, almost slab-sided shapes, but the Geneva show car features distinctive hood creases and a crisp accent line extending from front wheel well to the rear deck.

(VW begins construction on new Chattanooga plant. For more, Click Here.)

There are the requisite, paired down mirrors and oversized wheels and tires, both likely to regain more normal dimensions in production trim.

As for what’s tucked away under that muscular hood, some sources indicate Volkswagen will show off a new, all-wheel-drive hybrid system – an approach a number of makers have been migrating to, as witness the Kia Trail’ster Concept unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month.

(Click Here for more on the Kia Trail’ster.)

The VW concept is expected to use a TSI gasoline engine up front that is paired to two electric motors. One axle would be powered by gas, the other by electric power. The approach is sometimes called a through-the-road all-wheel-drive system, as there would be no driveshaft and clutches linking the two axles.

VW already showed off a similar drive system in its CrossCoupe GTE Concept. The maker has become enamored of electric drive of late, launching a mix of new hybrids, plug-ins and full battery-electric vehicles.

(To see more about the second union at VW’s Chattanooga plant, Click Here.)

Expect to hear plenty more next week when Volkswagen reveals the new concept vehicle in Geneva.