Volkswagen is to replace the CC with the Arteon, a four-door coupe the carmaker says will pioneer a ‘horizontally accentuated’ brand look, similar in design to the Sport Coupe Concept GTE (above and below) revealed at the Geneva motor show in 2015.
Arteon is a totally new model and more a step up in class than a direct replacement for the Passat-based CC, says VW. The Arteon name itself hints at it being a company flagship of sorts – astrologists cite it as an acronym for a pioneer or creator.
VW will unveil Arteon and the new brand look at the 2017 Geneva show in March. It begins up front with a large grille with horizontal slats that extend into the headlights. LEDs were used front and back on the GTE concept and are likely to appear on the production Arteon.
The new model will be built on a 50mm-longer version of the company’s MQB platform. It has been stretched to offer more legroom for rear passengers, although VW isn’t saying if it will move away from the CC’s cramped three-seat arrangement in the rear to a two-seat layout with centre console.
VW observers in Europe are picking a two-seat rear. But the carmaker itself has talked up Arteon’s large boot, where it says 1700 litres of space will be available with the rear row of seats folded flat. A two-seat rear with centre console would surely prevent such a flexible layout.
Spy pictures of a heavily disguised Arteon prototype point to a Mercedes-Benz CLS-like four-door coupe. VW says Arteon will get frameless windows. Side-on, the sloping rear window and couple-like roofline flow into a steeply raked windscreen, a clamshell bonnet and a rounded front end, an exterior much curvier overall than the CC.
Arteon is expected to be armed with technology befitting its flagship image, including driver assists and semi-autonomous features. Engines will run to a choice of smaller-capacity turbocharged petrol and diesel units, typical VW offerings.
But the GTE concept showed off a 3.0-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid good for 280kW and claimed fuel use of 2.4 litres/100km, or 118mpg. That spells CO2 exhaust emissions of 46gr/km. Would such a powertrain be known as the Arteon GTE?
