The Volkswagen what? You’re not alone if you haven’t heard of the Arteon. The model is easy to forget in a carscape that’s crowded with a rich number of much more premium and luxury cars that compete directly with the model in the U.S. due to the car’s high price point.
The Arteon is the successor to the Volkswagen CC. The company makes them in Germany and China. VW designed the car to be an upmarket offering.
The current interior of the 2020 Arteon doesn’t have the appointments or features of many modern premium and luxury cars, despite Volkswagen positioning the model to fit in with that crowd.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG
It’s a model that hasn’t quite caught on with American audiences despite the popularity of other models in the Volkswagen lineup like the Atlas, Tiguan, and Jetta. In the first quarter of the year, Volkswagen sold under 800 Arteons. Alfa Romeo sold more than twice as many Giulias during that same time and Toyota sold that many RAV4s every 17 hours.
Volkswagen will debut a refreshed version of the Arteon on June 24. The 2021 Volkswagen Arteon will have a completely new cockpit area and feature a new roster of high-tech infotainment system functions.
It will also benefit from the addition of new safety and driver assist systems, including Travel Assist, which takes over steering, acceleration, and braking at speeds up to 130 mph. Further restrictions of the vehicle’s capability will likely be forthcoming.
Additionally, Volkswagen will premiere the new Arteon shooting brake alongside the sedan. VW has already acknowledged that the U.S. isn’t getting this version of the car. It’s planned exclusively for Europe according to a release from the company.
With just the interior getting refreshed, the U.S. version of the car is likely to continue to have its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. For the 2020 model year, Volkswagen sold the car in the U.S. in three trim levels: SE, SEL, and SEL Plus. It was priced starting at $35,995.
