The model will be constructed at the Chattanooga plant of the company.
Next on Volkswagen’s SUV growth plan, is a five-seat and two-row version Atlas. VW today confirmed that the new model would be manufactured at its Chattanooga plant, Tennessee. A concept version of the Atlas will also be displayed at the New York Auto Show. Although a name for the new model has yet to be confirmed, VW called it an “Atlas variant.”
It was well-known that Volkswagen wanted to sell more SUVs in America. This was confirmed by a December report. At the Chicago Auto Show, we were told that Volkswagen would add two additional SUVs to the Atlas and Tiguan.
As with the Atlas and Tiguan, the new Volkswagen SUV will be built on MQB modular chassis. According to the company, it was designed and engineered specifically for American markets. This teaser image shows that the design language of the new Volkswagen SUV will be similar to the standard Atlas. It has a large horizontal grille with rectangular headlights on either side and rectangular headlights on the other.
The new five-seat model could be shorter than the seven-passenger Atlas and may have a lower entry price. Depending on the configuration, the smaller Volkswagen Tiguan can be ordered with five or seven seats. Customers are more inclined to choose SUVs of different sizes and shapes, so it is worth offering more options. However, VW will not bring its new Touareg onto the U.S. marketplace.
“The Atlas has built strong momentum for Volkswagen in the SUV segment, and we are excited to grow our SUV portfolio with this new, Chattanooga-assembled, five-passenger SUV,” Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen North American Region, said in a statement.
As the Tiguan and Atlas continue to attract more buyers, SUVs accounted last month for 54 percent of Volkswagen’s U.S. Sales. They were the brand’s top-selling models and their second best-selling models, respectively.
VW will invest $340million to equip the Chattanooga plant for the production of the new SUV. Already the factory produces the Atlas and the Passat sedan.