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2018 Volkswagen Arteon Prototype Shows There's Life after the Passat

One of the most frequent critiques that Volkswagen cars have to deal with is that they lack emotion. Alright, no more sugar coating: they're as boring as a rainy Monday.
2018 Volkswagen Aerton 10 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
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Priding itself with being a rational brand, VW can't simply produce a sports car and say "hey, we can make sexy vehicles too" knowing all too well that a). it wouldn't sell that well, and b). it would step on Audi's toes, which isn't clever group marketing.

Still, the Germans thought they have found a way around this issue with the Passat CC (Comfort Coupe) - essentially, Volkswagen's unrequested answer to Mercedes-Benz's CLS-Class. The four-door coupe was making a comeback, and the "people's car" wanted a piece of the segment.

However, its sales were probably as high as those of a sports car's would have been, and even though the CC is clearly a lot better looking than the standard Passat it was based on, it's not exactly a style icon. It is, at the end of the day, a Passat, after all.

Volkswagen is now busy putting the CC's replacement through its paces with a debut reportedly scheduled for next year's Geneva show in March. With such a tight timeframe, it's surprising how we haven't seen more of the CC successor, with this set of pictures being only the second time VW's four-door coupe was spotted.

Unfortunately, the car appears to be wearing the same type of camouflage, meaning we don't get to peek at its new body lines. But VW's secrecy is perfectly explainable: late last month, while releasing a sketch of the car, a VW official said the new CC would be previewing the new design language of future Volkswagen models, making preserving the secrecy of its looks that much more important.

Glancing over the drawing, then the spy images and keeping the new Tiguan in mind at all times, you can put together a mental picture of what the Arteon will look like. That's right, Volkswagen is also going for a name change, presumably in an attempt to sever the connection with the underwhelming Passat and position the new car in an upper segment.

That might be a bridge too far for Volkswagen, assuming it will carry over the same interior design seen in the rest of its models. The inside of its cars looks great, has excellent build quality and good materials, but at the end of the day, it lacks that premium feel. Will VW do something special with the Arteon? Unlikely.

The propulsion department will see different solutions depending on the market. The vast majority of Arteons will sell with 2.0-liter turbo units, be they gasoline- or diesel-powered. It would be strange if VW decided not to carry on the hybrid tradition started with the Passat GTE - in fact, you could go as far as to think of a fully-electric version as well in the coming years, even though e-Arteon doesn't have a great ring to it.

Like the Atlas, the Arteon will be pivotal in Volkswagen's attempt to turn its fate around in the US market. There's no doubt the Passat CC successor is going to be a great car, but whether or not it will be successful in the States depends on whether the public is ready to let go of the whole Dieselgate incident. Volkswagen is in need of forgiveness, and the Arteon is its way of asking for it.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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