Remember the Volkswagen Phaeton? While it never came to Australia, it became globally renowned for being somewhat of an over-engineered (Bentley-based) oddball.
The people’s limousine, as it were, was produced for 15 years, but the Bentley-based model missed sales targets, flopped early in the crucial US market, was reportedly one of Europe’s biggest loss-makers, and failed to transform VW’s brand image as hoped.
The Volkswagen Arteon is nowhere near as ambitious. Yet this replacement for the CC four-door ‘coupe’ has similar aspirations as a brand-booster – and a model also attempting to persuade buyers away from an Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz.
It starts with the most inspirational piece of exterior design we’ve seen from Volkswagen for a long time.
