According to Greek mythology, Atlas is a Titan condemned to hold the sky for eternity. He is often depicted by statues as supporting the globe, so it's a fitting name for the Volkswagen 7-seat crossover, considering this is a make or break moment for the US division.
We didn't get any major surprises today when the Atlas was revealed in Santa Monica because both the design and the powertrains were already revealed in detail.
It's almost 200 inches long, slightly longer than the Touareg. But, it's based on the MQB platform, which so far Volkswagen USA has only used for the Golf. You need that kind of length when the standard configuration is that of a 7-seater that competes with the Honda Pilot and Hyundai Santa Fe.
It's going to be offered with two powertrains, a 2.0-liter turbo that's good for 238 horsepower and a VR6 (that's what they are calling it) 3.6-liter offering 280 horsepower. There hasn't been any word on fuel economy, but the standard 8-speed automatic should help. And no, it doesn't say "DSG" anywhere, so this is likely a regular automatic with a torque converter.
We particularly liked the interior we saw on this pre-production model. It's got the biggest screen Volkswagen has ever put on an MQB car with better connectivity features as well. The Atlas also brings some of the features Europeans have been enjoying, such as post-collision mitigation, which keeps the brakes engaged after a crash, and the digital dash from the Passat, sort of like Audi's Virtual Cockpit.
The Atlas was designed and developed in America. Production will take place exclusively at the Chattanooga factory in Tennessee, from where it will be shipped all over the world. And by "all over the world," we mean 99% to Russia or the Middle East because this isn't coming to Europe. SAIC Volkswagen will produce its own version in the South of China.
Pricing has not been revealed, but it will cost somewhere between $30,000 and $45,000, depending on the spec.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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