VW Arteon's U.S. launch delayed by several months

The Volkswagen Arteon, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2017, has been for sale in Europe for a while now — but it seems U.S. customers will have to wait for the new range-topping Volkswagen sedan for a little longer. Originally,
Arteon sales were slated to begin during the third quarter of this year, but now it looks like the cars will reach VW dealers no sooner than “early 2019,” according to the manufacturer.

Automotive News reports that the bump has to do with meeting the WLTP standard. “The issue is because of delays in the certification process caused by a backlog in meeting WLTP worldwide emissions testing,” said a Volkswagen spokesman. In addition, VW canceled an introductory drive event that was originally scheduled to take place next month in California.

Delaying the Arteon comes around the same time that
VW is culling several variants from its Passat lineup, dropping the VR6-engined Passat GT ahead of the next-generation Passat’s introduction next year. The Arteon will not get a six-cylinder engine on the U.S. market, but instead it relies on the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder providing 268 horsepower, coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission and without a manual option.

The Arteon’s precedessor, the Passat-derived CC, was dropped from the roster in 2017, so VW does have a slight gap in its higher-end lineup until the first U.S. bound Arteons arrive. Earlier reports have said that the Passat, too, is scheduled to grow larger to make it stand out from the smaller Jetta, though this can also mean the breathing room between the Passat and Arteon might shrink.

Related Video:

0 Comments