2017 Volkswagen CC previewed via ‘Arteon’ concept

THE Volkswagen CC is set for a comeback. The German premium carmaker has lifted the veil on the Arteon, the concept car that will soon become four-door coupe’s successor.

The Volkswagen Arteon, set to become a real car in mid-2017 and due on sale in Australia around October, was released overnight as a sketch of a concept car that will make its debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

Similar to the two generations of the Passat-based coupe that preceded it, the Arteon will sit at the top of VW’s mid-size passenger car range. The concept’s sleek profile – the Volkswagen CC was the first affordable spin-off of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Class that introduced the world to the idea of a four-door coupe – means the production version of the Arteon will sell largely on the allure of its design.

The new CC concept’s design includes “overt accents” such as standard 19-inch alloys, frameless windows, LED matrix headlights and “dynamic scrolling indicators” that appear to ripple in the direction the car is turning.

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Volkswagen Australia marketing and product general manager Ben Wilks said the reborn CC would be “synonymous with technology and value”.

“Arteon in every sense surpasses any prestige car around or immediately above its price point,” Wilks said.

“With our first in Australia head-up display coupled with Active Info dash, you’re looking at the most advanced driver interface to date. With its driver assist systems Arteon takes a big step toward autonomy.”

It won’t be all show and no go: The range-topping version of the CC is expected to use the 206kW turbocharged four-cylinder engine shared with the range-topping Passat and the Volkswagen Golf R. Like both of those vehicles, the engine will distribute power to all four wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission.

The Arteon keeps the frameless window design of the preceding generations of CC, and includes a top-hinged boot lid providing what VW claims is a “huge” amount of luggage space.

The concept’s name is a mash-up of “art” and “eon”, the latter being a syllable used on VW’s more premium products such as the Audi A8-based Phaeton limousine that ended production last year, and the China-only Audi A6-based Phideon large car launched mid-way through this year.