Volkswagen calls the NMC a "midsize" concept, but it's based on the same platform as the compact Golf and Jetta models.

As that old baseball adage goes, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. Well, we’re betting you’d be able to pick out Volkswagen’s New Midsize Coupe Concept in the line-up.

This striking new design might just as readily be called the Baby CC, as it’s a somewhat downsized version of the German maker’s current, coupe-like sedan, and could very well join the VW line-up in the near future. But it’d likely be more of a compact than midsize, the show car sharing the same MQB modular platform as the current Volkswagen Golf and next-gen Jetta models.

Making its debut at this week’s Beijing Auto Show, the NMC is clearly a size class down from the Volkswagen Passat sedan, at a total length of barely 15 feet.  So, how does it qualify as a midsize?

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The NMC's interior.

“The concept car outdoes the other two in terms of its width – and it is thus midsized. So clearly this concept car exhibits proportions of an extremely sporty nature,” VW explains, comparing it to the Jetta and Golf.

Whatever class it eventually lands in, a production version might be just what the maker needs to add a little more styling excitement to its line-up.

The concept vehicle has a low, wide stance that gives it a more planted and aggressive feel, with a broad upper grille anchored by LED headlights, and a second grille below the bumper framed by large air intakes.

The overall design is a little more sculpted than many recent Volkswagen entries, with a subtle power bulge to the hood and crisp character lines racing rearward from the large wheel arches.

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The NMC Concept is powered by a turbo 2.0-liter inline-four paired with a 7-speed DCT.

In show car form, the New Midsize Coupe Concept is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four making 217 horsepower, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. VW claims it can launch from 0 – 100 kmh (0 to 62.5 mph) in 6.5 seconds, yet still deliver an estimated 37 mpg.

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While VW isn’t making any promises, the fact that the project was directly overseen by the VW brand’s design chief Klaus Bischoff suggests the maker sees the NMC as more than just another throwaway concept vehicle. And if we do see a production version appear in the not-too-distant future, we’d bet better than even odds it gets a much more sexy name than New Midsize Coupe.