The third-generation Volkswagen Touareg won’t be sold in the United States when it goes on-sale in other parts of the world next year. Plugging the five-passenger, mid-size crossover hole left by the Touareg’s departure from the U.S. market, however, will be a two-row variant of the boxy Volkswagen Atlas crossover SUV.
Volkswagen’s North American CEO Hinrich Woebcken confirmed to Automotive News that the forthcoming model will trade the blocky looks of the Atlas for “nice, coupe-ish styling.” Woebcken added that the new crossover will be similar to the three-row Atlas, both mechanically and dimensionally. The three-row version rides on an expansive 117.3-inch wheelbase and measures 78.3 inches wide.
Before the Atlas entered production, the large crossover SUV was previewed by the Volkswagen CrossBlue concept displayed at the 2013 Detroit auto show. Shortly thereafter, Volkswagen took the wraps off of the CrossBlue Coupe concept at the 2013 Shanghai auto show. These concepts, both on the Atlas’s MQB platform, sported similar interior designs. In place of the squared-off exterior styling of the CrossBlue, though, the CrossBlue Coupe featured flared fenders with round wheel wells and a noticeably lower roofline.
Although we can’t be sure if the styling differentiation between the production Atlas and its sleeker five-passenger sibling will be as extensive as that between its concept counterparts, we anticipate that the ...