9 Things You Didn’t Know About the All-New Arteon

The camera flashes popped and the crowd “oohed” and “aahed” when Volkswagen unveiled the 2019 Volkswagen Arteon at the Chicago Auto Show. Two fastback sedans, in metallic red and yellow, rotated on the stage, and although the iconic VW logo adorned both trunks and hoods, the cars were unlike any Volkswagen vehicles attendees had ever seen.

That was by design.

With the Arteon, Volkswagen set out to establish a new design direction for the future, providing a glimpse of the next generation of Volkswagen vehicles.

Here’s your crash course on the new Volkswagen flagship sedan.

The Arteon name is taken from the Latin word for art (artem) and alludes to the emphasis VW placed on its design. The VW team set out to “open a new chapter” in the evolution of four-door coupes with features such as chrome strips on the frameless side windows and a wraparound grille.

The nearly 112-inch wheelbase helps provide drivers and passengers with far more space than most fastback-style vehicles. While most fastback cars can feel cramped in the backseat, especially for taller passengers, the Arteon has space for rear-seat passengers to lean back, cross their legs, and relax.

Three-and-a-half years passed between initial discussions about the Arteon and final production. It is scheduled to arrive in America this spring.

In creating the low, coupe-like silhouette of the Arteon, the Volkswagen design team drew inspiration from nature. In particular, designers looked to imitate the streamlined and athletic profile of predators, including sharks.

Volkswagen introduced a unique lighting architecture with the Arteon: The grille and headlights weave together into a seamless unit, a feature that wowed the engineering team when designers first presented it.

The 27-cubic-foot trunk provides cargo space that exceeds that of most sedans, making the Arteon practical in a way that many similar types of vehicles are not. For example, folding down the rear seat provides a total of 55 cubic feet of cargo space.

The standard DCC adaptive chassis control feature of the Arteon allows drivers to configure the vehicle’s running gear for “normal,” “comfort,” or “sport” driving. The comfort mode helps even out bumpy rides, while the sport mode helps stiffen damping to create a more direct connection between the driver and the road.

The Arteon offers a host of Driver Assistance features, including standard Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, standard Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert, and standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking. Available features include Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Light Assist, Park Assist, and Park Distance Control.1

Ready for the all-new four-door coupe? Now you can make it your own with the R-Line® package. It’s new from VW and gives you a sportier interior and some enviable, dynamic exterior treatments. It will be available when the Arteon goes on sale this spring.

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