What is Volkswagen of America’s halo product? Most of you would probably say the Golf R or maybe the Atlas. Those of you would be wrong because until now, Volkswagen considered its halo car to be a vehicle you probably forgot was still around, if you remembered it at all. The Volkswagen Arteon tried to represent the best sedan Volkswagen could make, but few people bought them and now they’re dead. That would be bad enough but reportedly, the Arteon is dying a year sooner than it was supposed to. It’s a shame because it might have been the coolest modern Volkswagen nobody bothered to buy.
Technically, this news is coming in pretty late. It was first reported by Carscoops and confirmed by Volkswagen of America on December 8th, but nobody else noticed the Arteon’s departure until now. Perhaps that’s just another example of how little staying power the Arteon had. Volkswagen’s halo car died quietly without fanfare, not even from the media. If you aren’t feeling the gut punch yet, maybe you should know that Volkswagen of America originally slated for the Arteon to depart at the end of this year, so Volkswagen sped up the funeral procession.
Now that the show is over for the Arteon, here’s what so many car buyers missed out on and why you might consider one of these on the used market.
Volkswagen Fastbacks
Officially, the Volkswagen Arteon’s roots trace back to the Passat CC, later condensed to just CC. However, classic VW nut Jason Torchinsky would argue that the foundations for the Arteon were laid decades ago when Volkswagen built the Type 4 fastback in 1968.
Let’s talk about the Type 4 for a moment. Volkswagen says that by 1968, the Beetle had been selling millions of copies each year, making the VW brand a household name around the world. The brand was evolving its lineup, too, and it had decided to take the Beetle platform and morph it into a larger vehicle better suited to serve families.
In September of that year, the 411 hit the road, introducing a number of firsts for the brand. The Type 4 marked the first time Volkswagen created a sedan. It was also Volkswagen’s first unibody car and the first Volkswagen to use MacPherson struts and coils up front. And like the cars that would come after it, the Type 4 was advertised as an upscale experience for the whole family with features like draft-free air circulation, thermostat-controlled heat, six-way adjustable front seats, and crumple zones. VW even compared the Type 4’s suspension to the Porsche 911, but to highlight stability.
The Type 4 passed the torch to cars like the Dasher/Passat, another vehicle marking more firsts for Volkswagen, including water-cooling, front-wheel-drive, and styling from ItalDesign’s Giorgetto Giugiaro. As Jason once remarked, the Passat was also an important point in VW’s history because it’s the point when Volkswagen’s acquisition of Auto Union tech saw the light of day.
Sadly, the Passat dropped a fastback option at the 1988 launch of the B3. It would then march on for about two decades before the fastback style finally made a return to the Passat.
As MotorTrend reported in 2008, the Volkswagen Passat CC’s design team, led by Oliver Stefan, noticed that the Passat had a wagon and a sedan, but not a more “emotional” variant. To make the CC a lavish sensation for your eyes, Stefan and his team decided to carve a curvaceous coupe-inspired body out of the Passat. Sure, the vehicle’s windows got squished, as did room for rear passengers, but Volkswagen produced a shape that suddenly made most other vehicles in the Volkswagen lineup look comparatively frumpy.
It also wasn’t enough that designers just made a sleeker Passat, Volkswagen also took the rest of the vehicle upmarket, making a sedan halo car. During the CC’s worldwide release in 2008, Volkswagen claimed it was the world’s first car in its class to have an active lane keep assist system as well as the “Dynamic Drive Control,” which offered different suspension and steering adjustments. This was a car loaded down with tech from automatic distance control, automatic braking, and a parking assist.
Volkswagen capped the CC off with its own upscale interior, frameless windows, and ventilated seats, a feature that Volkswagen noted was last featured on the Phaeton super sedan. Automotive media was sort of obsessed with the CC. It wasn’t the perfect sedan, but it sure looked good. The CC was powerful, too, offering a 2.0-liter 200 HP turbo four as the base engine in America and the 3.6-liter VR6 with 280 HP as the top engine. You could even have your luxury paired with a manual transmission.
Sales of the CC were healthy at first and the car got a facelift with more tech, but that didn’t stop deliveries from sliding under 10,000 units by 2014. By 2016, sales were an abysmal 3,237 units. Volkswagen already had what it thought was the answer. In 2015, the Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE made the show circuit, showing off an even sexier future for the CC. This became the Arteon in 2016 before hitting the road in Europe in 2017 and America a year later.
Leveling Up
Officially, the Arteon is the CC’s spiritual successor. However, the Arteon went even further than the CC. The Arteon is low, wide, and goes even further upmarket than the CC did. When the Arteon made its debut at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen of America called the vehicle its halo car.
Part of what made the Arteon so amazing is just how different it looked from anything else in the Volkswagen lineup. The Arteon made just about everything else, except maybe for the GTI, instantly look ten years older. Or, was the Arteon coming in from ten years into the future? Senior exterior designer Tobias Sühlmann penned lines for an elegant, graceful vehicle that could just as easily wear a more prestige badge. Some of the visual feast is due to the lengthened wheelbase. The MQB platform-based Arteon has a 111.9-inch wheelbase compared to the CC’s 106.7 inches. The Arteon looked lower, leaner, and ready to glide down any of America’s autobahns.
There are not many mainstream cars that make me practically crack my neck trying to take a look, but the Arteon, much like the Phaeton of old, does. As Jason perfectly captured in his review at the old site, there is not an angle of the Arteon that is bad to look at. The attention to detail is also phenomenal.
Sadly, I never got to drive an Arteon before its death, but Jason did:
I’ve seen other reviews of the Arteon that suggest that its driving dynamics don’t quite match its looks, and that when compared to similar but more expensive cars from BMW, for example, it’s slower and less engaging. Now, that’s not necessarily wrong, but I think it also commits the very common automotive-journalist sin of ignoring the context of how these cars will most likely actually be driven.
Sure, I don’t think I’d pick the Arteon as my track car of choice, but this really isn’t something that’s likely to come up for, um, anyone who’s looking at an Arteon. This car is very clearly designed to be a fast, comfortable, roomy everyday and road trip car, not a canyon-carver. That said, I found it occasionally fun to drive. The turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four makes a respectable 268 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque, and at no point did the car feel slow to me.
I’m told it’ll go from stopped to 60 mph in about six seconds, which is plenty fast, and when I stomped on the throttle it made satisfying noises and pulled like a champ. Not neck-snapping or bladder-voiding, but if you’re not satisfied with how quick it is, you’re probably looking at the wrong kind of car.
Like the CC before it and the Type 4 decades ago, Volkswagen also made the Arteon’s interior a nicer place to be than the typical VW of the era. Volkswagen upped the tech in the Arteon, too, adorning the vehicle in LED lighting, filling the cockpit with screens, adding in Nappa leather, three-zone climate control, massaging seats, rear heated seats, and a long line of driver assists.
Sadly, the American-spec Arteon did lose a couple of the best goodies the CC offered. While the Arteon was offered with a manual transmission and later, a slick wagon, VW never bothered giving them to Americans. I know that for many of our readers, the lack of a manual alone sours the deal. But I do think Jason is right that the Arteon isn’t really supposed to be a killer sport sedan or a vehicle for enthusiasts, but a flashy car to cruise America in.
Despite all of this, the Arteon was seemingly a miss, even with non-enthusiasts. In the launch model year of 2019, Volkswagen moved 2,449 units. That increased to 3,998 units in 2020 before peaking at 5,537 in 2021. Then, sales fell off a cliff and just 1,178 Arteons found a new home in 2022. There was a sales rebound in 2023 if you can call it that, as 2,349 Arteons were sold.
The Halo Few Bought
Back in 2022, Volkswagen of America announced that the Arteon would die at the end of the 2024 model year. This was reportedly part of Volkswagen’s Accelerate Forward plan, an effort for Volkswagen to become a leaner, more profitable version of itself by shedding slow-selling models and focusing on the meat and potatoes everyone is buying. Given the Arteon’s position as one of the brand’s slowest sellers, killing it made sense. However, as confirmed back in December by Carscoops, Volkswagen decided to pull the plug a year early. In the letter obtained by Carscoops and confirmed by Volkswagen of America, the brand is letting the Arteon go and is looking forward to the release of the ID.7 to fill the hole of Volkswagen’s bigger sedan.
It’s not exactly known why the Arteon failed to launch with buyers but the price can be a clue. A 2019 Arteon started at $35,845, which was a pretty big leap over the $26,190 2019 Passat, another slow seller that somehow died first. A loaded Arteon also sailed past the $44,200 base price of the Audi A5 Sportback. Perhaps, just like with the Phaeton two decades ago, buyers weren’t ready to pay Audi money for a Volkswagen badge. Of course, there’s also the fact that sedans have been losing the battle against crossovers, and the Arteon is unapologetic about not being a crossover.
If you’re suddenly feeling the urge to buy a dead VW halo car, I have good news. Volkswagen is still selling new 2023 Arteons. Who knows how many are left, but time will eventually run out. As of now, the cheapest way into a new Arteon is the SE R-Line, which retails for $44,360 after destination charges. There’s also the SEL R-Line for $48,530 and the SEL Premium R-Line for $51,425.
Whatever the reason people didn’t pony up the cash for an Arteon, the Arteon will eventually join the Phaeton in the pages of rare Volkswagen sedan history. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be excited to see one in traffic, just to be saddened that it is gone. It’s a shame because it sounds like the Arteon was one of the coolest cars Americans didn’t buy.
(Images: VW)
I always thought the CC and Arteon were cool. There’s a CC in my work parking garage that I admire when I walk by. Is it just me, or did they never advertise these cars? They advertise the Jetta and SUVs/CUVs, but that’s about it. If you want to sell something, consider letting the buying public know that you have something for sale.
I just bought a ’23 Arteon SEL Premium this last weekend as the price point made sense. When I was talking to my sales guy he mentioned that because VW could not move many of these units in their first iteration, that they ended up giving tons of them to VW corporate employees, and to dealership executives. MANY of the Arteons sitting on lots with CPO are gently used, low mileage, corporate cars fresh off their lease. Because of the amount they gave out as lease vehicles to their own dealership execs. and to their corporate execs. they are forcing dealerships across the country to have them on their lots to sell. There are definite bargains to be had and dealerships view them as a scourge that are taking up space for higher volume selling CUVs and SUVs.
Hell, because of the situation, I got mine for 29k with every option except massaging and ventilated seats with CPO warranty on top of the factory warranty.
“The Type 4 passed the torch to cars like the Dasher/Passat, another vehicle marking more firsts for Volkswagen, including water-cooling, front-wheel-drive…”
Nope, K70, introduced in 1970, was the first Volkswagen model to have front-wheel-drive, water-cooled engine…
Phaeton, Routon, CC, Crouton, Touareg… I feel like the marketing guys at Volkswagen have, for a long time, actively tried to name VWs so they have a diminished chance of selling.
RIP Arteon owners. Is the steering wheel poisoned?
Depends if the steering wheel is biting the owners or the owners are biting the steering wheel.
(Or if there are radioactive materials in the steering wheel.)
(…or [something something Britney Spears’ “Toxic”])
The front end is gorgeous.
The Arteon is a halo car from 2009.
How could this have possibly been a halo car? They didn’t even advertise the damn thing! The purpose of a halo vehicle is that it’s supposed to generate excitement about the brand. How could you generate excitement with something that I guarantee you no one who isn’t into cars knew existed?
What’s an Arteon???? Never heard of one before this article.
I think it’s sales failure is that it’s not really great at anything. It’s admittedly handsome, but so are other sedans. It’s not the fastest, quickest, cheapest, most luxurious, etc. So why buy it? For VWs sterling reliability? Right. The drive train? Eh. So why buy it? Because it represents the best value? Nope. I think there are just other things you can buy that are better for the money.
For a person seeking some value when it comes to the intersection between performance, luxury and running costs, the idea of paying premium fuel prices for a questionably reliable, semi-premium sedan out raced and out equipped by nearly any upper trim level Toyhonkia mid-sizer has limited appeal.
“If you’re gonna’ buy a near-Audi-level VW at near-Audi-level pricing, you might as well buy an Audi.” I fear the Toyota Crown might see the same fate at it blurs the line between Toyota and Lexus.
Well, the Crown is occupying the space in the lineup that the Avalon previously occupied (at least in the U.S.), right?
If I were wealthier and/or knew more about the long-term reliability and general cost of ownership of an Arteon, I might be interested in one. I agree that they look cool and my only real turn-off is that it’s Volkswagen, but that’s more a general “keep away” vibe I get from the commentariat (surprise surprise, I’m generally a Toyota fanboy).
The first generation Avalon that came to the U.S. seemed pretty lux (my uncle had one) but later versions (at least the ones I am familiar with) just seemed like stretched out Camrys.
I always liked the look of these as well as the CC. But… it’s a VW, so any aquisition was never going to happen.
As I posted on Ye Olde German Lighting Site, I just got one of these for the better part of a week, driving all up the Mid-Atlantic.
Leaving aside my main point there, which was that touch-capacitive HVAC control was already shit, but should NOT be malfunctioning after 3 years yet somehow were, here’s my thoughts:
No shit it’s being killed off. It’s got the Toyota Avalon problem. It’s the nicest VW you can get, but now you’re getting into Audi territory with the extra features and interior. Was it “fast”? I suppose. It’s “fast” insofar as it gets from 0 to 60 in the span of a freeway on-ramp, but I won’t say that it felt faster than most other rental sedans or SUVs that I’ve had in years.
If VW honestly thought that their halo car was the equivalent of a run-of-the-mill Audi without the four rings, they need a new marketing team
I have never heard of this car before today. So good work VW on marketing.
I always liked the look of them, and wondered what I could actually buy one for seeing they just rot on the lot. Even thought the interior, in typical VW fashion, looks plucked out of a Jetta.
But for $50k, if I am throwing caution to the wind and buying a VW product, I’ll go find a Golf R. Or a GTI and keep $10k for the repairs.
Budgeting 10k for GTI ownership? Smart man.
I owned a 2018 Golf R for 4 years and 42000 miles. Never did I have a mechanical issue or have it let me down in any manner. Loved that car and miss it. Currently drive a 2022 Audi S5 Sportback and likely will trade that on a 2025 Golf R, the one upcoming with real knobs in place of the haptic controls.
Every person who brings up flawless VW ownership experience tends to describe a lease term. I mean, I’m glad your VW didn’t annoy you over 42k, but goddamn that’s a low bar. Like, the lowest of bars.
And yeah, if you replace your brand new car every 3-4 years, you don’t need to budget for repairs.
While you make the assumption that my R was a lease with your statement that “Every person…tends to describe a lease term”, I purchased that car with my hard earned cash. I appreciate your comment about my VW not annoying me during the duration of my ownership. The fact that I choose to replace my cars after ~4 years / ~42k miles of ownership does not amount to setting a low bar. My decision to replace at that time / mileage interval is based on past experience primarily with American made vehicles, so I have set bar that I am comfortable with for my lifestyle, driving style and budget. Based on past experience and my decision to replace my car when I do, you are correct that I “don’t need to budget for repairs”. My money, my cars, my choice, my enjoyment.
Oh hey, you do you.
I was just saying, I certainly hope you wouldn’t have issues with a practically brand new car.
The Arteon wagon was stunning in person, finally got to see a couple of them on a trip to Scotland last year.
The Arteon checked most of my boxes when I was car shopping last year and the underappreciated/offbeat angle made me really want to like it. But as you mention, a nicely equipped one is in A5 Sportback price territory and sitting in the Audi just felt so much nicer. It was a no-brainer to buy the Audi.
I drove one shortly after it came out – a bit too much road noise from the frameless windows, and just nothing particularly special about it. They’re down to low $30’s here, but I’d spend the extra few thousand on a contemporary Golf R. It’s not much smaller, and it’ll hold its value better.
There’s a VW dealer just down the street from me. I think I’ve seen less than a couple dozen cross the lot during its entire run.
I shopped these a couple times, and I really loved a lot of things about it. The size is a great balance of medium-large, and I could easily see myself enjoying the interior and all the extra features there for a very long drive.
But for that price, on that platform, a VW 2.0 Turbo engine was such a disappointing offer compared to a Toyota or Honda V6, or even a Toyota hybrid system. Even the Accord’s 2.0 Turbo seemed a much better engine.
They’re interesting, but ultimately not for me.
Driven both. The Honda 2.0T is much better. For one, you can’t even chirp the tires in an Arteon.
I wish it didn’t look so boy racerish, but the Camry V6 for $40k is wiping the floor with this, and you can own it out of warranty.
Truth. If the Camry V6 was this size, and looked like this VW, I’d already own one.
Toyota made such a mess of their styling that I put off buying for almost three years, and ended up getting a used Honda Clarity as my daily driver instead of the new Toyota I was planning to buy. Well, the styling delayed me placing my Toyota order, then three months into my 6 month wait for the Toyota, something came up and made the purchase more urgent. But I would’ve ordered the Toyota much sooner if it weren’t so ugly.
If not for concerns over long-term VW ownership, I’d have definitely picked one of these up. Easily one of my favorite sedans that was on the market.
My mother in law has one of these – a white R-Line. It’s a pretty looking car, sure, but it’s probably the only one I’ve seen on the road.
Over here VW is seen as a quasi premium brand. Golfs and Polos aren’t seen as economy cars, they are city cars for the well heeled. Indeed, my MIL came to the Arteon from an F30 BMW convertible. But even with VW being slightly upscale, I think that most people who have that much money to spend on a VAG sedan are buying an Audi. Shame.
One overlooked detail: this was essentially the fastback EU Passat, built on the MQB platform, as opposed to the ancient, recently-killed NMS Passat that was still on the PQ platform. To all those asking for the nice stuff Europe gets, here you go; no one bought it.
But yeah, when VW announced they’d sell a range-topping, $50k sedan I don’t think anyone expected that this wouldn’t become another Phaeton.
I also kept seeing mention of VW trying to go upscale throughout the history of the Passat, which someone needs to explain to them that they don’t have SEAT or Skoda in the US as entry brands to elevate VW’s perception. There isn’t space in the market between luxury and volume anymore; VW needs to start acting like the volume brand that they are and actually take on Toyota here.
VW should really just be selling Skoda’s model lineup in the US. They all seem to be better looking, better executed products that the North American market would eat up. I don’t even care what the badge is. Just slap a VW badge on the Skoda Kodiaq and call it a day.
I’ve been saying this for years. The current Jetta is hideous, but I had a MK6 GLi that I loved. However, had the Octavia been available here I’d have never even looked at the GLi.
The SEAT/Skoda observation is a huge oversight, isn’t it? I can’t think of any other executive blind spots quite so large at the moment.
I really liked the CC – but to me the Arteon always felt overdone and overpriced, like a CC that had been developed for Buick.
I am probably a target audience for this car after owning so many VW and Audi vehicles and totally knowing what I would be getting into with the EA888 etc. In my own views, the problems with the Arteon are:
Why did they change the name to something dumb? VW can really make up dumb names.I don’t think this was marketed very much – if at all. I can’t recall seeing an ad for itThey didn’t bring over the wagon version.It was very sparingly kept on dealer lots. Maybe 1 for ever 50 Tiguans and Atlases. Comparing those cars on price, you’d get so much more for your money getting one of the crossoversAs said before, it was way too pricey. An Audi A5 or A4 Allroad in base or mid trim would price out to about the same as a loaded Arteon. I know which one I’d prefer (and I own the allroad). There was little value proposition to this car, even though it was more the size of an A7 because of the transverse engine. Pushing or cresting $50k was silly.
well the formatting of this comment totally went out the window… I guess bullets don’t work after all.
You have to use HTML formatting codes for bullets.