2018 VW Atlas

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FiestaST

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Pretty much US-only...

World premiere of the Volkswagen Atlas in California! The new seven-seater SUV for the US market was unveiled on the Santa Monica Pier at the end of historic Route 66. The VW Atlas launches a new chapter in the company's American history. The new model will be built in Chattanooga (Tennessee) for the North American market and offers innovative technology and spaciousness. In addition, the new Atlas thrills with hallmark Volkswagen driving dynamics and attention to detail.

"This is the biggest and boldest Volkswagen we have ever built in the United States, delivering the distinctive design and craftsmanship we're known for, now with room for seven," said Hinrich J. Woebcken, Volkswagen CEO of North America Region.

The Volkswagen Atlas opens up an important segment for the brand: midsize SUVs, as the Americans call them, already formed a tenth of all new registrations in the USA in 2015. For the first time, Volkswagen's Atlas now offers a model in this high-volume class in the category between the Tiguan and the Touareg that is fully tailored to American needs.

Building on the modular transverse matrix (MQB) from Volkswagen, the Atlas is born with the latest Volkswagen design DNA. Classic proportions and clean lines that create a sense of timelessness and precision. Up front, standard LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights combine for a unique visual signature, with optional LED taillights to complete the look.

With a length of 5,037 mm (198.3 inches), a width of 1,979 mm (77.9 inches) and a height of 1,768 mm (69.6 inches) the 2018 Atlas is larger than any other Volkswagen on sale in the USA.

Inside, the VW Atlas makes maximum use of its dimensions to offer space for seven adults and their luggage. The third row can be easily reached by an innovative folding seat solution. Clear, driver-centric displays enhance the driving experience. In addition, the optional Active Info Display (called the "Volkswagen Digital Cockpit" in the USA) allows drivers extensive options for configuring the display.

Volkswagen Car-Net offers a wide range of online services, including standard App-Connect technology that offers integration with the three major smartphone platforms - Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink. The new Atlas model also features a Fender Premium Audio System offering a sophisticated sound experience with twelve speakers and a 480 Watt amplifier.

The Volkswagen Atlas offers a selection of premium SUV driver assistance features. Depending on the equipment line, these include: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist); Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert; Lane Departure Warning (Lane Assist), and Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist).

The Volkswagen Atlas is also the only vehicle in its class to offer the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System. This automatically initiates a deceleration of the vehicle when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage.

The new Volkswagen Atlas arrives with a choice of two powertrains: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI with gasoline direct injection and turbo charging with 175 kW / 238 PS and the already available 3.6-liter VR6 engine with 206 kW / 280 PS. Both engines route power through an eight-speed transmission.

The Atlas can be configured either as front-wheel-drive or with 4Motion all-wheel-drive in combination with the VR6 engine. The 4Motion system has a Driving Mode Selection feature that allows the driver to select specific parameters based on driving conditions. US Environmental Protection Agency EPA fuel economy estimates will be released ahead of the launch in Spring of 2017.

The 2018 Atlas will be built alongside the Passat for North America at the Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly plant (Tennessee). Volkswagen has invested an additional €900 million in the facility. The Chattanooga plant is the only automotive manufacturing facility in the world to receive Platinum certification for its environmental excellence by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program.

From the end of 2017 this large SUV will be offered in the Russia and Middle East markets.

https://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2018-atlas/

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US-only SUV introduces new look and sits at the top of Volkswagen's SUV range; it won't come to Europe, but could be sold in China

The all-new Volkswagen Atlas large SUV will lead the brand's fightback in the US following the dieselgate emissions scandal.

The Atlas arrives after a lengthy development period and will be sold in the US market, but not in Europe. It gets a muscular design to match US preferences, which is inspired by the design of the Crossblue concept that was first shown three years ago.

The Atlas has squared-off daytime running lights and a thick front grille, with muscular wheel arches and sharp tail-lights. The car’s look is distinctive and quite different to the rest of Volkswagen’s range, emphasising the effort the car maker has made in appealing to American buyers.

Engines and gearbox

At launch, the Atlas comes with the choice of two engines: a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI with 238bhp and a 3.6-litre six-cylinder VR6 with 280bhp. Both units send drive exclusively through an eight-speed automatic transmission, but the 2.0-litre has two-wheel drive only while the larger VR6 can be specified with 4Motion four-wheel drive. This technology offers several drive modes to improve traction and performance on varying surface conditions.

Technical specifications

The Atlas is based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB architecture, but it's significantly larger than its siblings; at 4922mm long, the Atlas is 225mm lengthier than the Skoda Kodiaq and even 121mm longer than the current largest Volkswagen SUV, the Touareg.

The Atlas is 1979mm wide and 1767mm high, making it 38mm wider and 35mm taller than the Touareg. Not only is it larger than any VW passenger car on sale in Europe, it’s also Volkswagen’s largest US model, too.

The cabin features the usual raft of VW switchgear and dials, shared with the rest of its range. This includes touchscreen infotainment mounted in the centre console and an optional digital screen behind the wheel, the display of which can be customised according to driver preference.

The car’s infotainment can be specified with Volkswagen Car-Net, which brings Apple Carplay, Android Auto and Mirror Link, while an optional Fender Premium audio system, complete with 12 speakers and a 480-watt amplifier, is claimed to be the most advanced ever fitted to a Volkswagen.

Driver assistance systems include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitoring with a rear traffic alert system, lane departure warning and park assist technology. VW claims that the Atlas is also the only car in its class to come with an automatic post-collision braking system, which keeps the brakes applied in the second phase of an accident to prevent further impacts.

Along with this new safety system, the Atlas sets itself apart from the rest of VW's SUV range with the biggest seating capacity. Three rows of seats make the Atlas a genuine seven-seater that VW says can easily carry seven fully-grown adults and their luggage. VW has paid special attention to making access easy, devloping a unique seat folding mechanism specifically for the Atlas's second row of seats to maximise space into the back.

Prices and on-sale date

At this stage, the US is the only confirmed market for the Atlas, but China is understood to be another potential area of interest in the future.

The US models will be built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, US next year. Pricing and further technical information will be released before order books open.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2017-volkswagen-atlas-revealed-us-market
 
Volkswagen has officially revealed the new Atlas SUV, which boasts seating for seven and offers a choice of two powertrains, ahead of its planned debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

However, since the Atlas will be built alongside the Passat at the Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly plant in Tennessee, primarily for the US market, it will come in left-hand-drive guise only. And that, of course, means there can be no plans to make it available in South Africa.

Slotting in above the Tiguan and Touareg, the Atlas runs on the Wolfsburg automaker’s familiar MQB platform, and measures more than five metres in length.

The new SUV will launch in the States with a choice of two powertrains: a 2,0-litre TSI four-cylinder worth 177 kW and an ageing 3,6-litre VR6 mill worth 208 kW. While both engines employ an eight-speed automatic transmission, only the VR6 will be available with the brand’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

So, since the Volkswagen Atlas is not destined for local shores, South Africans keen on a new seven-seater option from VW will have to hope the rumours of an Amarok-based SUV have substance. Or, indeed, that a long-wheelbase Tiguan eventually becomes a reality.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/seven-seater-vw-atlas-unveiled-but-its-not-for-sa/
 
VW says US-made Atlas could head to other markets

When the Volkswagen Atlas was officially revealed back in October, the brand said the seven-seater would be built in Tennessee, primarily for the North American market.

There was also talk that the SUV would eventually be sold in China, Russia and the Middle East. But now a VW executive has confirmed that the brand is considering offering the vehicle in other markets, too.

“We are thinking about Europe. For most regions, the Touareg is the right car, but there are certainly markets like Russia and the Middle East where we see the Atlas could be popular,” Elmar-Marius Licharz, the Wolfsburg automaker’s product control chief, told Autocar.

“The Atlas is quite big, so we need to evaluate the likely demand – it might even be too big to fit in many European garages. But clearly there are some markets in Europe where it would make sense, and there is spare capacity at the Chattanooga plant where we are building it if we choose to do this,” Licharz added.

Licharz admitted that if the Atlas were to make it to Europe, it would likely need to be offered with a diesel powertrain, which is not the case in the United States (where the engine range comprises two petrols: a 2,0-litre TSI four-cylinder and a 3,6-litre VR6).

“At the moment, we are just thinking about it, but it is possible,” he explained.

The Atlas runs on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, and measures more than five metres in length, which sees it slot in above Touareg.

While it remains to be seen what this latest development could mean for the chances of local introduction, we doubt there are any plans to make the Atlas available in South Africa any time soon. Indeed, there would have to be a compelling reason to build the SUV in right-hand drive configuration first (for a variety of markets), before a business case could be made.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/vw-says-us-made-atlas-could-head-to-other-markets/
 
In the wake of the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen has pinned its US hopes on the new seven-seater Atlas. But an unnamed VW design employee has reportedly blasted the SUV’s styling, saying it “looks like a 2012 Ford whatever”.

The Truth About Cars claims it spoke to an anonymous “employee of Volkswagen responsible for part of the company’s design process” at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, and asked him for his thoughts on the styling of the Atlas.

“It’s boring. Of course it’s boring,” the employee said.

“That vehicle is four years old. And by that, I mean it looks four years old,” he added.

“It looks like a 2012 Ford whatever. It could be anything.”

The Atlas runs on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, and measures more than five metres in length, which sees it slot in above Touareg. In the US, the engine line-up comprises two petrols: a 2,0-litre TSI four-cylinder and a 3,6-litre VR6.

Although there have been indications the Atlas could make it to markets outside of North America, don’t expect South Africa to be one of them.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/vw-design-employee-slams-boring-atlas-styling/
 
Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced that it will offer the R-Line package on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The new trim package augments the Chattanooga-built SUV's sportiness with exterior and interior design elements that give it an even more dynamic appearance. The Volkswagen Atlas R-Line will be introduced at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The R-Line package enhances the robust list of equipment in the Atlas SE and SEL trims-offering a full suite of connected vehicle services and driver assistance features-with performance-inspired treatments. The exterior styling details include 20-inch aluminum-alloy twin-spoke wheels; R-Line badging; unique front and rear bumpers that incorporate stylish air intakes at the front and a diffusor in glossy black paint at the rear; and side skirts.

Inside, the VW Atlas R-Line welcomes drivers with the R-Line logo on the start screen of Volkswagen's Modular Infotainment Platform (MIB II). Other interior features include an R-Line steering wheel clip and stainless-steel sport pedal covers.

Like the standard Atlas model, the R-Line will be available in two engine options: a four-cylinder TSI turbo with 235 horsepower or a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 276 horsepower. Both come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Volkswagen's advanced 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is available on V6 engined models.

The Volkswagen Atlas models will go on sale in the Spring of 2017, with the R-Line package going on sale later in 2017.

https://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2018-atlas_r-line/#2

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VW reveals VR6-powered Atlas 'Weekend Edition'

Volkswagen has taken the wraps off its new Atlas Weekend Edition, conceived to demonstrate how the new seven-seater SUV can be “enhanced with smart accessories”.

Due to make its official debut at the Chicago Auto Show, the concept is somewhat of a throwback to the “Weekender” packages offered on the classic Vanagon and Eurovan pop-up camper models of years gone by.

VW points out that the Atlas Weekend Edition integrates several available accessories that enhance the Chattanooga-built SUV’s versatility with “innovative cargo solutions”.

The concept is based on the SEL Premium model, which means it comes fitted with a 208 kW 3,6-litre VR6 mated to an eight-speed transmission, and paired with all-wheel drive.

Riding on 18-inch “Prisma” alloys finished in anthracite grey, the Weekend Edition concept features what VW describes as “a modern variation of the pop-up roof”. When empty, the cargo box appears sleek and compact, but when needed for hauling, it can expand.

In addition, the concept features base carrier bars for attaching accessories for skis, snowboards, kayaks or bikes. Side steps have also been added. Inside, a cargo divider provides a pet-friendly barrier behind the second row, with the latter featuring a universal tablet mount.

Other Volkswagen accessories built into the Atlas Weekend Edition concept include window and bonnet deflectors, a heavy-duty trunk-liner (with seat-back coverage), a privacy cargo cover, all-weather rubber mats, splashguards and wheel locks.

The Atlas, of course, is not destined for South African roads.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/vw-reveals-vr6-powered-atlas-weekend-edition/

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