Volkswagen’s replacement for the four-door CC coupe will land in New Zealand in October with the carmaker’s new occupant protection system, a proactive package that can take control of the car from an incapacitated driver.
It is called Emergency Assist 2 and will be standard equipment in the new Arteon, the coupe version of the current Passat sedan.
It introduces an autonomous element and works with the car’s adaptive cruise control and lane assist systems.
If the driver takes their hands off the wheel for too long and doesn’t respond to warning signals – if he or she is suffering from a sudden medical condition, for example – the system will activate the hazard warning lights and slowly move the vehicle to the side of the road and bring it to a stop.
Arteon brings to NZ equipment and technology not available to the Passat sedan and wagon, nor for that matter to anything else in the VW range.
Included is a head-up display (HUD), an ‘Area View’ surround camera system, LED headlights with dynamic light assist, dynamic indicators, ambient interior lighting with three colour choices, frameless side windows, heated rear seats and 19-inch alloy wheels.
It will be available in one-spec only in NZ: top-range R-Line, with 4Motion, and a 2.0-litre turbocharged 206kW/350Nm engine driving all four wheels via a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. Peak torque is available between 1700-5600rpm.
Arteon is 95mm longer overall and has a 50mm-longer wheelbase than the standard Passat sedan. “It looks stunning in the flesh,” said VW general manager Tom Ruddenklau.
“There will be one-spec only with everything in it,” he said. “Right now we are finalising the price.”
Apart from a bundle of top-shelf safety systems and electrically operated this and that, Ruddenklau’s ‘everything’ includes R-Line body kit and badging, nappa leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch Active Info digital driver’s cluster, a 9.2-inch Discover Pro infotainment system with gesture control, Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
The Arteon comes almost nine years after the arrival in NZ of the original CC. There was only one-spec CC back then too, priced at $88,990 and powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine.