Photo: Guido ten Brink - SB-Medien
Bold styling moves are as rare as unicorns when it comes to the Volkswagen line-up and this year's Geneva Motor Show kicks off with the debut of such a creature. In official terms, we are looking at the VW Arteon, which is here to replace the aging, but still handsome, CC.
This piece of five-door eye candy doesn't exactly come as a surprise, since we first met contraption back at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, albeit in concept form (we're talking about the Sport Coupe Concept GTE).
And with the Phaeton having retired, the Arteon is currently the (non-SUV) flagship of the Volkswagen line-up.
In terms of market positioning, the Arteon obviously sits belong all-premium models such as the Audi A5 Sportback and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but above the also-coupeish Renault Talisman.
While the CC and the Passat CC that came before it have already accustomed us to the VW badge being adorned with a sloping roofline, the bold fascia of the Arteon is entirely new.
The German automaker's omnipresent MQB modular platform underpins the five-door model, with the newcomer being longer, wider and lower than the Passat.
The most interesting engines in the Arteon range are the 1.5-liter TSI Evo introduced on the Golf Mk VII facelift and the 276 hp 2.0-liter turbo-four. The most potent engine will come with a seven-speed DSG transmission and 4Motion all-wheel-drive as standard.
Volkswagen hasn't also changed its styling ways when it came to the five-seater cabin of the Arteon. Nevertheless, we have to mention the 9.2-inch central infotainment display with gesture control and the Active Info Display digital instrument cluster.
From the list of cool active safety features, we'll mention the intelligent LED headlights, which can predict a corner using GPS, adapting to the course, while there's also an emergency feature that can autonomously bring the vehicle to a halt, taking it to the side of the road in the event the driver has a medical emergency.
European customers will be able to order the car once the Geneva hostilities are over, with its German market launch scheduled for June.
The U.S. market will receive the Arteon next year, with the vehicle coming as a 2019 model. Nevertheless, we could see Vee-Dub sticking to the CC moniker for America.
And with the Phaeton having retired, the Arteon is currently the (non-SUV) flagship of the Volkswagen line-up.
In terms of market positioning, the Arteon obviously sits belong all-premium models such as the Audi A5 Sportback and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but above the also-coupeish Renault Talisman.
While the CC and the Passat CC that came before it have already accustomed us to the VW badge being adorned with a sloping roofline, the bold fascia of the Arteon is entirely new.
The German automaker's omnipresent MQB modular platform underpins the five-door model, with the newcomer being longer, wider and lower than the Passat.
The most interesting engines in the Arteon range are the 1.5-liter TSI Evo introduced on the Golf Mk VII facelift and the 276 hp 2.0-liter turbo-four. The most potent engine will come with a seven-speed DSG transmission and 4Motion all-wheel-drive as standard.
Volkswagen hasn't also changed its styling ways when it came to the five-seater cabin of the Arteon. Nevertheless, we have to mention the 9.2-inch central infotainment display with gesture control and the Active Info Display digital instrument cluster.
From the list of cool active safety features, we'll mention the intelligent LED headlights, which can predict a corner using GPS, adapting to the course, while there's also an emergency feature that can autonomously bring the vehicle to a halt, taking it to the side of the road in the event the driver has a medical emergency.
European customers will be able to order the car once the Geneva hostilities are over, with its German market launch scheduled for June.
The U.S. market will receive the Arteon next year, with the vehicle coming as a 2019 model. Nevertheless, we could see Vee-Dub sticking to the CC moniker for America.
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