Volkswagen will be showcasing a five-seater version of the Atlas SUV at the upcoming New York International Auto Show 2018, on March 28. The carmaker has recently released a new teaser image of the upcoming near-production concept SUV, designed for the US market. This new SUV is based on the Atlas, has five seats and sports a coupé-like roofline and along with its bigger seven-seater sibling, the new SUV will also be manufactured at the company plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it was specially designed and developed for the American market.
Volkswagen says that SUVs are experiencing increasingly strong customer demand which makes them an important growth driver for the company. In fact, currently, one in seven Volkswagen cars sold across the globe is an SUV and company aims to have 19 SUVs in its global line up by 2020. The Volkswagen Atlas has been a big example for the company, which since it was launch last year, has accounted for the sale of more than 36,000 units. In the US, the Volkswagen Atlas has contributed toward boosting the company's share in the SUV market to over 50 percent.
Hinrich J. Woebcken, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. emphasizes this point as well: "The Atlas is providing a strong impetus to Volkswagen, and we are very pleased to add this new five-seat SUV, produced in Chattanooga, to our SUV lineup."
Like the VW Atlas, the new five-seater SUV will also be built on the company's widely used MQB modular platform. It is the same platform that also underpins the company's another five-seater SUV, the Volkswagen Tiguan, which is currently on sale in India. Based on the teaser image, it's evident that the new five-seater concept will show a great amount of resemblance to the regular Atlas in terms of design and styling. The SUV will get a similar wide grille with horizontal chrome slats and rectangular headlights on either side, a muscular front bumper with large air intakes, bold lines and large wheels.
Engine options haven't been revealed, Volkswagen confirms that the new SUV will be offered with advanced engines, an 8-speed automatic transmission, 4MOTION all-wheel drive and comfortable suspension. The SUV will also come with a range of comprehensive driver assistance systems and the latest technologies such as the Active Info Display, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), collision warning and emergency brake assist (Front Assist), Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Blind Spot Monitor, lane keeping system (Lane Assist) and parking steering assistance (Park Assist).
