Volkswagen will soon be adding another model to its line-up, at least as it pertains to North America, choosing to derive this upcoming SUV from their region-specific 7-seat Atlas. Specifically, it will be a more compact, perhaps sportier 5-seat version of it.
Like the Atlas and pretty much all other VW models currently on sale, it will be built upon the German automaker’s MQB architecture and produced at their plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Being closely related to an existing model, most of its development can thusly be accelerated, leading to a near-final version being prepped to make its debut at next week’s New York Motor Show.
The new model, whose name is still up in the air, is part of Volkswagen’s ‘Transform 2025+’ strategy that intends to pounce upon the increasing demand for certain types of vehicle and aligning with customer buying trends - the SUV in general being a important growth driver for VW, both in North America and internationally. It will be sharing floor space with the 2019 Volkswagen Arteon, which will be making regional debut in NYC.
Volkswagen’s North American arm is bullish on the prospects that the brand’s SUVs portfolio poses to the market, which has been reinvigorated in large part thanks to the still-new Atlas. Launched in 2017, more than 36,000 units of the 7-seater has sold there, boosting the brand’s SUV share to roughly 50 percent in the USA.
Naturally, it will resemble its larger sibling, but the new SUV will sport a more coupe-like rear end, no doubt to appeal to a younger set of buyers while still offering impressive levels of practicality for its class.
In their own words: “When it comes to design aspects, the near-production concept car impresses with a sporty, compact rear body in coupé style. The side profile combines powerful proportions with a confident presence. A special dynamism is conveyed by the C-pillars, which are angled much lower in the style of a coupé compared to the seven-seater.”
There’s little doubt that the company’s 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder turbo-petrol will wind up under its bonnet, but the fate of the 3.6-litre naturally aspirated V6 that also powers the larger Atlas is less clear. Regardless, it will be paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and be offered (though likely not standard) with 4Motion all-wheel drive.
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