Volkswagen has always liked to include one genuinely, strikingly good-looking car in their lineup. In the air-cooled-era, that car was the Thing (kidding/not kidding; I guess it was the Ghia) and more recently it’s been the Passat-based CC. The CC is gone, but it looks like the good-looking brother role will have a replacement: the Arteon.
Volkswagen released that video above there to hint at what the Arteon will look like, along with some reminders about what landscapes and flowing water look like in sped-up footage. There’s also some breathtaking pencil-sharpening action at about 0:42, and the slowest possible writing of the word “ARTEON” at the end.
Overall, it’s a good-looking design, an evolution from the previous CC as opposed to a revolution. It’s a four-door long fastback sort of design, not unlike the Tesla Model S or the Audi RS7 Sportback, a lovely style of car that the Germans have enjoyed for decades, going back to the Merkur Scorpio or even VW’s own 411 sedan.
The sketches are clearly show-car-type drawings, with impossibly small mirrors and improbably large wheels. The face of the car shows VW’s new corporate mug, with the badge migrating up to the top center of the grille and VW’s new narrow-trapezoid quad headlamp setup.
I always liked the elegant look of the CC, and the Arteon I suspect will also be a strikingly handsome car. VW could use some wins here, so let’s hope it’s handsome and striking enough.