Photo: Theophilus Chin
From what we've seen so far, the Arteon four-door coupe looks like the product of a hot night between a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A7 Sportback.
The Wolfsburg brand is taking things dangerously close to premium territory, which is good news for us, potential customers, as long as prices remain closer to what Volkswagen has used us with so far. However, you might want to keep your fingers crossed for that one as it doesn't seem very likely.
As everybody knows, the Arteon's predecessor was the (Passat) CC, which in turn was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz CLS. You might also be aware that the current CLS took things further and offered a (four-door) Shooting Brake version as well, thus creating one of the most niche cars ever.
Unsurprisingly, the new CLS model - actually called CLE - will lose that, considering to say it sold poorly is a euphemism. But, as it happens in life, when one dies, another takes its place. The Volkswagen Arteon - planned for a release in three months time at Geneva - is rumored to toy with the idea of a shooting brake version, even though it hasn't been confirmed yet.
Just like convertibles, station wagon sales are in decline all over the world. If it's harder to pinpoint a culprit for the former - polluted air? Warmer summers? - the latter owe their decline to the advent of the SUVs. And since these pseudo-4x4s don't seem to be going anywhere, it's hard to imagine things will change.
But if you could build an argument for a station wagon based on a regular sedan, when it comes to these design-driven four-door coupes, it becomes nigh-on impossible. People who would consider an Arteon over a Passat, for instance, do it for the extra prestige it brings. They are style-conscious, and the wagon body style - because, let's face it, that's what they call a shooting brake actually is - has never been synonym with elegance.
Or maybe this rendering doesn't do it justice. Maybe Volkswagen will be more daring than Mercedes-Benz and not use the trick with the window line to make the Shooting Brake's rear seem more sloped than it really is, but actually cut it like a mad surgeon. Maybe this rendering shows a station wagon version of the Arteon, and not the Shooting Brake we'd like to see. Or maybe Volkswagen won't build it at all and we're just wasting time.
As everybody knows, the Arteon's predecessor was the (Passat) CC, which in turn was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz CLS. You might also be aware that the current CLS took things further and offered a (four-door) Shooting Brake version as well, thus creating one of the most niche cars ever.
Unsurprisingly, the new CLS model - actually called CLE - will lose that, considering to say it sold poorly is a euphemism. But, as it happens in life, when one dies, another takes its place. The Volkswagen Arteon - planned for a release in three months time at Geneva - is rumored to toy with the idea of a shooting brake version, even though it hasn't been confirmed yet.
Just like convertibles, station wagon sales are in decline all over the world. If it's harder to pinpoint a culprit for the former - polluted air? Warmer summers? - the latter owe their decline to the advent of the SUVs. And since these pseudo-4x4s don't seem to be going anywhere, it's hard to imagine things will change.
But if you could build an argument for a station wagon based on a regular sedan, when it comes to these design-driven four-door coupes, it becomes nigh-on impossible. People who would consider an Arteon over a Passat, for instance, do it for the extra prestige it brings. They are style-conscious, and the wagon body style - because, let's face it, that's what they call a shooting brake actually is - has never been synonym with elegance.
Or maybe this rendering doesn't do it justice. Maybe Volkswagen will be more daring than Mercedes-Benz and not use the trick with the window line to make the Shooting Brake's rear seem more sloped than it really is, but actually cut it like a mad surgeon. Maybe this rendering shows a station wagon version of the Arteon, and not the Shooting Brake we'd like to see. Or maybe Volkswagen won't build it at all and we're just wasting time.
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