Takdir Volkswagen Arteon di pasaran Amerika Syarikat telah ditentukan, apabila pemberitahuan terkini kepada peniaga secara rasmi mengesahkan penghentian pengeluaran sedan tersebut untuk pasaran AS. Walaupun Arteon telah berada di ambang ketidakpastian, surat yang dikongsi di platform media sosial menyatakan, “Tahun Model 2023 menandakan akhir pengeluaran Arteon untuk pasaran Amerika Syarikat.”
Wakil berita Volkswagen, Mark Gillies, mengesahkan penghentian ini, merujuk kepada pengumuman CEO Volkswagen, Thomas Schafer, mengenai menghentikan pengeluaran model-volume rendah sebagai sebahagian daripada pelan “Accelerate Forward | Road to 6.5”. Langkah ini bertujuan untuk mengoptimumkan kos dan pendapatan bagi syarikat. Walau bagaimanapun, jangka masa penghapusan Arteon tidak diterangkan.
Diperkenalkan pada tahun 2017, Arteon menarik perhatian dengan reka bentuknya yang bersih tetapi menghadapi kesulitan untuk mendapatkan bahagian pasaran yang besar. Pada separuh pertama tahun 2023, hanya 1,155 Arteon yang dijual di AS, berbeza dengan 16,224 Jetta dan 38,785 Tiguan pada tempoh yang sama. Walaupun penghentian pengeluaran, Arteon mengalami peningkatan yang ketara, dengan peningkatan jualan sebanyak 580% berbanding separuh pertama tahun 2022.
Kematian Arteon tidak menandakan berakhirnya sedan VW yang canggih, kerana ID.7 elektrik melangkah sebagai penggantinya. ID.7, yang diperkenalkan lebih awal di Eropah, dijadualkan untuk dijual sebagai kenderaan model tahun 2025. Menawarkan sehingga 700km jarak tempuh dalam kitaran WLTP dan sehingga 282hp, ID.7 akan membawa era baru pemanduan bergaya dan mesra alam kepada peminat Volkswagen.
The Volkswagen Arteon’s fate in the American market has been sealed, as a recent dealer notification has officially confirmed the discontinuation of the sedan for the US. While the Arteon has lingered on the edge of uncertainty, the letter shared on social media platforms unequivocally states, “Model Year 2023 marks the end of the Arteon production for the US market.”
Volkswagen spokesperson Mark Gillies confirmed the discontinuation, referring to Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer’s announcement about ending the production of low-volume models as part of the “Accelerate Forward | Road to 6.5” plan. The move aims to optimise costs and revenue for the company. However, the timeline for the Arteon’s exit was not explicitly detailed.
Originally introduced in 2017, the Arteon garnered attention for its sleek design but struggled to secure a significant share of the market. In the first half of 2023, only 1,155 Arteons were sold in the US, contrasting with 16,224 Jettas and 38,785 Tiguans during the same period. Despite its discontinuation, the Arteon experienced a notable improvement, with a 580% increase in sales compared to the first half of 2022.
The demise of the Arteon does not signal the end of sophisticated VW sedans, as the all-electric ID.7 steps in as its spiritual successor. The ID.7, unveiled earlier in Europe, is slated to be sold as a 2025 model year vehicle. Offering up to 700km of range on the WLTP cycle and up to 282hp, the ID.7 is set to bring a new era of stylish and eco-friendly driving to Volkswagen enthusiasts.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) starts off the new year with the launch of Accelerated Futurescapes, a collection of exclusive Arteon NFTs. This collaboration with new media art collective Filamen involves 4 one-of-a-kind crypto artworks based on the flagship Volkswagen Arteon.
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are unique digital assets based on blockchain technology that allows for digital ownership. As each piece is uniquely certified with no one piece is the same, it is expected to appeal to art collectors and Arteon enthusiasts alike.
Besides being available for purchase on Pentas. the NFTs are also presented on Filamen’s virtual gallery and co-curated design research platform, No-to-scale.
The NFT project is the second art collaboration to feature the Arteon. In 2020, VPCM partnered with Wei-Ling Contemporary art gallery on ‘Makings of a Masterpiece’, which featured 13 Arteon Art Cars by 13 local artists that were then successfully auctioned off for charity.
“Volkswagen have always been at the forefront of digitalisation initiatives in Malaysia, and pushing digital boundaries is something we constantly strive to do,” said VPCM Managing Director, Erik Winter. “What more, to empower young local artists and be a part of their journey to explore and widen their creative range has been truly inspiring.”
“Of course, the collaboration had to star the Arteon, which offers the perfect combination of avant-garde design with dynamic handling. With this collaboration, we are once again setting new standards, and we thank Filamen in realising this dream with us,” he added.
Up-and-coming Filamen artists, Syed Mohamad and Jason Choo, were commissioned to create the NFTs, and the results were 4 ‘otherworldly’ visions of the future inspired by the Arteon’s design and performance – from the sound, to shape, and the little details that matter.
“It has been a thrilling journey for us at Filamen, and we thank Volkswagen for this opportunity. We saw the project as a digital exploration of the relationship between the car and aesthetic imagery and the artworks are distinct visions of the Arteon, exemplifying a car beyond just a vehicle. What we wanted to do, at the heart of it all, was to express human emotions inspired by the Arteon,” said Filamen co-founder, Abdul Shakir Abu Samah.
How do you judge a car in just three or four days?
There really isn’t much you can say about it other than the way it drives, how the interior feels, and the overall efficiency.
That is the issue with motoring journalism in Malaysia.
So the best way to properly understand a car is to look into a forum where other owners share their experience.
Or to drive a somewhat high mileage car that has been properly used and abused by other members of the Malaysian motoring fraternity.
Which is what I did when Volkswagen Malaysia handed me a car with a little over 10,000km on the odo.
There is no doubt that the Volkswagen Arteon is one the best looking car of its segment.
It created waves when it was first introduced to the world, and it still turns heads today.
At about RM220,000, it seems a better buy than the established competition; the BMW 3-Series, the Mercedes C-Class and the Audi A4.
It is a lot bigger than the competition and a lot more spacious.
And surprisingly offers more creature comforts, though it does not offer as much safety tech as the other Germans.
And that is what makes it fall short of being utterly perfect.
But then again, the Arteon also has held up surprisingly well after 10,000km in the hands of motoring journos.
Of course the cars are fully refurbished before being passed from one journo to another, but there are things that simply cannot be done so quickly.
Such as seat bolstering, faded plastics, buttons that become undone and surfaces that are easily scratched such as the door sills.
I found none of that in this Arteon.
What I did find though is that in the 5-6 days that I had the car, the entertainment system failed on me, once!
This was when I wanted to switch from the Apple CarPlay, to which I was connected to wirelessly, to a regular radio station.
I had Google Maps running (not a fan of Waze) and perhaps the onboard processor had too much.
The system then wouldn’t respond for a couple of minutes, and then it went blank for another couple of minutes.
Shortly after it restarted and was fine for the rest of my drive time.
Just tech being tech, I guess.
But other than that though, I have nothing but praises.
I loved the spaciousness of the Arteon.
For the first time ever, I did not need to move the front passenger seat forwards to accommodate my kid’s rear facing car seat.
The 563 litre booth accommodated everything you need to manage a child over a weekend, plus groceries, plus the wife’s bags, and then some.
Just for reference, the booth is slightly smaller than that of the Passat, but yet is bigger than the 4-Series and the Audi A5 Sportback.
The entertainment system, despite that one issue I experienced with it, was impressive with a 700W 12-speaker DynAudio sound system.
Metallica’s S&M album never sounded so good in a mid-segment passenger car.
The wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity is truly god sent, and something Mercedes-Benz and BMW should take a card from.
However, I do feel the engine does not do justice to the car’s good looks.
The 2.0-litre engine produces just 187hp and 320Nm of torque.
But for those with a need for speed, there is the Arteon R that produce over 300hp.
But it has never been officially offered in Malaysia save for that one time Volkswagen showcased a demo car to gauge public interest.
That didn’t go too well since it would have costed over RM300,000.
But the one great thing that the standard Arteon does incredibly well is fuel efficiency.
I did about 550km during my drive and still had about a quarter tank left when it came time to return the car.
Volkswagen also claims that the Arteon needs just 6.3 litres of fuel to travel 100km on the combined cycle.
And this technically means that in an ideal scenario, the Arteon can travel 1000km with its 66-litre tank. This does depend on how heavy your right foot is though.
Despite its frugal nature, the Arteon also offers the usual array of Drive Modes that make the car sharper or comfortable, all at the touch of a button.
This either stiffens or softens the suspension, adjusts the steering wheel and the accelerator according to the selected drive mode as well.
This did lead to a more interesting drive in Sport mode as the car generally felt more eager.
Even after 10,000km of being driven by people determined to bring out the worst in the car, yours truly included, the Arteon has been steadfast.
The interior is always the first place that wear and tear sets in, and is not easy nor cheap to restore, and despite that the interior of this Arteon has held well.
The powertrain too has proven to the naysayers that Volkswagen has left its old engine and gearbox issues firmly in the past.
And for if you regularly maintain it with care, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
If you do buy brand new, the entire ownership experience is made better with a five-year warranty and a three-year free maintenance program.
Also, it is also worth noting that the new 2021 Volkswagen Arteon is due to be launched in Malaysia real soon.
This means prices of the current Arteon will drop, making it an incredibly good buy in the used car market.
If you can look past the lack of power and appreciate the overall design and the efficiency of the car, then the Arteon would be well worth considering.
Especially when compared to the old guards from Germany.
The Volkswagen Arteon is priced at RM221,065.28 excluding insurance.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) is proud to announce that their latest all-new Volkswagen Arteon is now available for booking and the price is expected to range between RM290,000 and RM310,000.
The fully CBU Volkswagen Arteon R-Line will be making its official debut here in Malaysia in a few months so to those who would like to own the very first few models here in the country should definitely place your bookings at any of the Volkswagen authorised showrooms located nationwide. (more…)
Volkswagen has been named ‘Most Innovative Brand 2017’ by a panel of judges for the Plus X Award at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA). It is one of the leading innovation awards worldwide for technology, sport and lifestyle.
Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design, collected the top award on behalf of Volkswagen. Though not the only prize bagged by the brand, it is probably the most prominent of the lot.
The award is presented to brands in recognition of their products’
qualitative and innovative edge. Besides this, a number of VW models managed to win in their respective categories for the Plus X award. These vehicles include:
D.BUZZ as “Automotive Concept Vehicle of the Year 2017”
The Golf as “Compact Passenger Car of the Year 2017”
The Atlas as “SUV of the Year 2017”
The Arteon as “Saloon of the Year 2017”
In addition to picking up Saloon of the Year, the Arteon was also awarded the ‘Best of Best’ top ranking in the the categories “Exterior and Interior Volume Brand” in this year’s “Automotive Brand Contest”.
According to the jury that was responsible for handing VW the plethora of awards, “In the Arteon, the designers from Wolfsburg have embodied the shape of the future in a series production vehicle with exceptional aplomb.”
“They have combined the design elements of a traditional sports car with the elegance and space of a fastback while at the same time managing to incorporate many of the concept car’s innovative stylistic features and design details into the series production vehicle, ” they added.
Despite the dark clouds that have loomed overhead these past few years, Volkswagen seems to have pulled its act together and is on its way to better times. If the latest string of awards are any indication of the company’s future, it’s safe to say that VW is back on top.