Earlier this week, Volkswagen announced that it is ceasing production of its sleek, four-door coupe, the CC. When it first broke cover in 2007, it was a revelation. Then dubbed the Passat CC, it breathed fresh air into an otherwise stagnant segment, and gave more discerning buyers the option of getting their Passat family car with a little more flair, looking a little bit like a Mercedes-Benz CLS in the process.
Restyled in 2011 (and dropping the ‘Passat’ moniker altogether), the CC became the desire of many, with sharper looks and smarter tech making it a truly compelling choice indeed. Sales of the CC have been strong around the world, and we’ve been waiting with bated breath as to when Volkswagen would announce its successor.
Now, they have. Confirmed today, the Volkswagen Arteon will debut in late 2017, in time for the 2018 model year. The ‘Arteon’ name is an amalgamation of ‘Art’ and ‘Eon,’ the latter being a suffix for what Volkswagen says is a “premium model.” ‘Art,’ however, is used to describe the new dynamic design of the ‘comfort coupe.’
The CC has been around for almost a decade now, debuting in Australia in 2009. The new Arteon clearly carries influence from the Sport Coupe GTE concept, and the sketches largely resemble some leaked images that have been circulating on the net. The Arteon will be built on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, which is already employed by several other cars in the VW Group’s range.
The new Arteon should see quite a lot of emphasis on the rear-quarters, as a large portion of CC sales have been in the Chinese market. Globally, this should result in a plusher, posher comfort coupe for the rest of us. At the time of writing, Volkswagen Australia will not confirm details for the Arteon, but it’s already working on a list of properly upmarket equipment for it.
“Arteon, in every sense, surpasses any prestige car around or immediately above its price point. There’s standard kit on board this Volkswagen which would set you back a great deal more if packaged in a luxury car, or an SUV,” commented VW Australia’s marketing and product manager, Ben Wilks.
“With our first-in-Australia head-up display coupled with an Active Info dash, you’re looking at the most advanced driver interface to date. With its drivers assist systems, Arteon takes a big step toward autonomy.”
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