Nother CarGuy

Volkswagen has released the final teaser image of the five-seat Atlas concept ahead of its official unveiling tomorrow. Set to become one of the stars at the New York Auto Show, the latest teaser image doesn’t reveal much but the crossover will be a sportier take on the standard model which went on sale in the United States last year. Volkswagen says the concept is a “near-production” model that will feature a coupe-like roofline and “powerful proportions with a confident presence.” Judging by the teaser images, the crossover will have a unique front fascia with a three-bar grille and slimmer headlights. The bulging wheel arches carryover but the model will have a sportier front bumper with a larger air intake. The concept also boasts more dynamic bodywork, a gently sloping roof and angular C-pillars. The crossover will ride on the MQB platform and Volkswagen has previously said the model has been “designed and engineered for the American market.” Despite being a concept, Volk...

Volkswagen has revealed more details about the second derivative of the Atlas, which will be offered with five seats instead of seven and a coupe-like profile. The vehicle is in near-production form and will be presented at the 2018 New York Auto Show, next week, as the company announced yesterday. Part of VW’s ‘Transform 2025+’ strategy, which focuses on SUVs as these are seen as “an important growth driver” for the brand, this version of the Atlas will be put together at the Chattanooga plant, in Tennessee, just like the regular model and US-spec Passat. “The Atlas is providing a strong impetus to Volkswagen, and we are very pleased to add this new five-seat SUV, produced in Chattanooga, to our SUV lineup“, said Volkswagen of America’s President and CEO, Hinrich J. Woebcken. Based on the MQB platform, the Atlas Coupe (name unconfirmed) is described as combining “powerful proportions with a confident presence”. The SUV “will also be a very attractive product for customers”,...

VW has announced that a brand new variant of their Atlas SUV will be unveiled at the 2018 NY Auto Show, based on the MQB platform but featuring 5 instead of 7 seats. We have been waiting for such an announcement ever since the automaker’s North American region boss, Hinrich Woebcken, stated last year that more Atlas variants were coming. We also know that VW previously trademarked the names Atlas Allsport and Cross Sport, so this new car could very well adopt one of the two monikers. “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,” said Woebcken. “We are not only committed to this market, we are committed to our U.S. manufacturing home in Chattanooga, Tennessee.” While we don’t have much to go on when it comes to its styling (sketches tend to exaggerate things a lot), a Coupe-like rear end might be in play judging from that sloping roof design and relat...

There's a saying that less is more and Lexus is hoping that rings true as the company has unveiled a five-seat version of the 2018 LX 570 in Los Angeles. Billed as a more cargo-friendly version of the luxury SUV, the elimination of the third row allows the model to carry 50.5 cubic feet (1,430 liters) of luggage behind the second row. For comparison, the seven-seat variant can only hold 44.7 cubic feet (1,265 liters) of cargo behind its middle seats. The difference is minor but the five-seat model starts at $84,980 which is $5,000 less than the seven-seat variant. Despite being slightly more affordable, the model comes nicely equipped with leather seats, a four-zone automatic climate control system, and a power moonroof. Other niceties include a power tailgate and 20-inch alloy wheels. Power is provided by a familiar 5.7-liter V8 engine that produces 383 hp (285 kW) and 403 lb-ft (545 Nm) of torque. It is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission which sends power...