Volkswagen Australia is set to axe another passenger car from its line-up as the slinky Arteon is on its last legs.
Paul Pottinger, Volkswagen Australia’s general manager of communications, told CarExpert the Arteon liftback and Shooting Brake wagon range will continue to be sold locally “until it runs out”, adding the last local example will “likely” be sold before the end of the year.
As previously detailed, the Volkswagen Arteon is getting culled globally as part of a movement to kill low-volume cars and focus more closely on core models.
Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer said profitability will be improved by simpler line-ups, and by smarter management of production across brands as demand fluctates.
At this stage it’s unclear how many more examples of the Arteon will come to Australia. It’s also unclear if there will be a 2024 model year update or a final edition version for the car.
The Volkswagen Arteon was first introduced locally in 2017 in liftback form as a direct successor to the CC four-door coupe, with it positioned above the Passat as the brand’s flagship passenger vehicle.
The company sold 1306 of these up to 2020, when it was put on hiatus locally. It returned in 2022, joined by the sleek Arteon Shooting Brake wagon.
Until May this year Volkswagen sold a total of 300 Arteons. It was outsold by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1538 sales), BMW 3 Series (1143 sales), Lexus ES (795 sales), and Audi A4 (323 sales).
The Arteon did, however, outsell the likes of the Audi A5 Sportback (188 sales), Alfa Romeo Giulia (61 sales), Volvo S60 (61 sales), Jaguar XE (47 sales), Peugeot 508 (41 sales), and Genesis G70 (37 sales).
With Volkswagen getting ready to axe the Arteon, this means the flagship passenger vehicle crown will likely fall to the Passat for the time being.
At this stage the future of the Passat is uncertain in Australia as the local division has yet to confirm it will offer the next-generation version, set to debut later this year in wagon-only form.
Volkswagen has also revealed the all-electric ID.7 liftback as an alternative to the Passat, though it also has yet to be confirmed for an Australian launch.
The company’s local arm axed the Jetta in 2018 and the Passat sedan disappeared in 2022. While the company is pushing its SUV range in Australia, it still sells the Polo and Golf ranges.
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