Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake Is Reportedly Happening
A wagon version of the VW luxo-sedan is apparently a go and may also get a VR6 engine.
It's happening. According to numerous reports from Europe including one from Auto Express, in a company conference, Volkswagen confirmed that a wagon bodied version of the Arteon four-door is headed for production.
At the conference, VW didn't confirm the exact release date of the Arteon shooting brake, but it's existence was announced alongside the news that the Arteon, which made its North American debut last month at the Chicago Auto Show, will go on sale in China and the U.S. in the second half of 2018. It's also been rumored that VW engineers are developing a new turbocharged 3.0-liter VR6 six-cylinder engine with at least 400 horsepower for the Arteon.
In an interview with Auto Express in 2017, Dr. Elmar-Marius Licharz, VW head of the product line for medium and full-size cars said: "If we build a six-cylinder engine, we are discussing it for the Arteon, we have built one already in a prototype vehicle."
Currently, there are no Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) architecture based models in Europe equipped with a six-cylinder engine. If VW decides to put the new VR6 engine into production, the Arteon will reportedly be the first model to receive it. In the United States, the Arteon will be the second MQB based model to be equipped with a six-cylinder engine after the Atlas, which is powered by a naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter VR6.
Considering the fact that the American automobile consumers are currently obsessed with crossover vehicles, the probability of the VW Arteon Shooting brake coming across the Atlantic Ocean is slim to none. However, with the arrival of the Volvo V60 and V90 wagons along with the Jaguar XF and Mercedes-Benz E400 4Matic wagons into the U.S. market, VW executives may eventually find a reason to sell the long-roof version of the Arteon here, fingers crossed.
The Drive has reached out for confirmation from Volkswagen and will update this article pending the company’s response.
