- Volkswagen announced that the short-lived Arteon is heading for the chopping block as the company realigns its focus on higher-volume models.
- Sales figures for the Arteon have been on a downward trend in recent years, with Volkswagen selling 5537 in 2021 and only 1742 in 2022.
- The manufacturer confirmed to Car and Driver that 2024 will be the final model year for the Arteon.
Volkswagen will soon be short one large hatchback. The manufacturer announced today that the short-lived Arteon four-door is scheduled for a visit to the gallows, and confirmed to Car and Driver that 2024 will be the final model year.
The announcement comes in conjunction with Volkswagen’s Accelerate Forward program, which sees the company refocusing its efforts on becoming a more efficient and more profitable company. According to Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, that means focusing on a smaller number of high-volume vehicles, while removing low-volume vehicles such as the Arteon.
Debuting in the U.S. in 2019, the Arteon has never enjoyed big sales figures in our market. A general lack of enthusiasm by American shoppers has all but killed the full-size sedan segment domestically, with only a few competitors remaining. According to sales figures from VW, the Arteon has been on steep downward spiral for the last two years. The manufacturer sold just 5537 Arteons in 2021 and only 1742 in 2022. Compare those figures to the over 375,000 and 300,000 total vehicles sold by Volkswagen in the U.S. for each respective year, and the decision to discontinue the model becomes crystal clear.
At this point, Volkswagen hasn’t announced any direct replacement for the Arteon. We know the electric ID.7 is headed for the U.S., and that could be viewed as a sort of replacement for both the Arteon and the discontinued Passat mid-size sedan. Despite its high sticker price, we’ve always held the Arteon in good light. On top of that, we’ll simply be sad to see the full-size sedan market shrink even further.
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Associate News Editor
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
