The Volkswagen Arteon is almost certain to make an overdue return to Australia during the third quarter of 2021 – and best of all, the Shooting Brake wagon is set to join the range.
The 2022 Arteon sold here will be the updated model revealed in Europe last year, meaning the flagship Volkswagen passenger vehicle will have an updated interior design and more active safety features built in.
The Arteon fills a niche in the range, slotting in where the old Volkswagen CC fitted. It serves as the brand’s closest offering to conventional luxury cars alongside the Touareg SUV.
The Arteon launched in Australia solely as a liftback in November 2017, and the company sold 1306 before putting the car on hiatus. According to VFACTS sales data, Volkswagen last sold one here in April 2020.
It’s no longer on Volkswagen Australia’s website.
Expect the 2022 Arteon to be imported in limited numbers given the small audience for a premium-priced Volkswagen passenger car.
Alas for performance enthusiasts, the full-fat 235kW Arteon R won’t be coming. Volkswagen plans to launch the Golf R, T-Roc R, and Tiguan R in 2022 and clearly has enough Rs on its plate. Nor will Europe’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) come.
We will instead get the Arteon R-Line, which still packs a circa 200kW (precise info to be confirmed) 2.0-litre engine, DSG, and 4Motion all-wheel drive. The old Arteon was the 206TSI.
The slinky liftback should be familiar to enthusiasts. The Shooting Brake deviates from the four-door coupe from the b-pillar back, with a sloping roof line and pinched glasshouse. But the 565L boot is only a few litres larger.
Inside, the Arteon has followed in the footsteps of the Mk8 Golf with touch-based controls for the climate controls. It has also gained wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a revised design for the dashboard.
A new Travel Assist adaptive cruise control system capable of braking, accelerating, and maintaining the car’s position in its lane between standstill and 210km/h.
It will also respond to speed signs, and adjust based on corners and upcoming junctions or roundabouts.
“Its nice that we can offer it again and it does have its following,” Volkswagen Australia told us today. “We are working on a Q3 introduction.”
