Although you should never judge a car solely by its styling, design is a good place to start with the new 2019 Volkswagen Arteon. The four-door hatch already looks good in photos, but seeing it in person reveals details you might not instantly notice on your phone. Don’t miss our review of the U.S.-spec 2019 Volkswagen Arteon here, and then check out seven design details based on our time driving in and walking around Arteons of different trims and colors.
What a CHMSL!
No, CHMSL isn’t a bunch of random letters. The center high-mounted stop lamp is the third brake light all cars have somewhere on their rear glass. In the 2019 Arteon, the CHMSL stretches nearly the entire length of the top of the glass. It’s a premium detail I associate most prominently with Audi and Bentley.
Do You See It?
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The 2019 Arteon’s best design detail is that it’s not immediately identifiable as a Volkswagen. The brand has produced some very safe designs lately, so it’s satisfying to see a sexier shape slink out of the design studios. The Arteon won’t inspire envy from A5 Sportback owners, but the VW is a far more pleasing shape than the Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, or Acura TLX. As Volkswagen’s flagship four-door straddles full-size mainstream and entry-level luxury segments, however, styling can’t assure success on its own.
Let’s be clear: This is no bargain Audi. Materials inside the $36,840–$47,705 Arteon are hit or miss, from the center console’s hard plastic to the unacceptably cheap “is this a Jetta?” feel of the HVAC knobs. Then again, the Nappa leather feels great, the side of the center stack is squishy where your knee will rest at red lights, and the truth is that most sub-$50,000 luxury-branded four-doors (like the A5 [...]
Say it ain’t so. The base Volkswagen Golf is reportedly exiting the U.S. market after the current generation calls it quits next year. According to a report by Motor 1, the standard version of the upcoming eighth-generation Golf—as well as the SportWagen variant—will not be available here. However, there is some good news, as the GTI and the Golf R will still need their passports when the new models finally roll out. Speaking to Motor Authority, VW spokesman Mark Gillies added, “The Golf R and GTI are confirmed, but other Golf models are under consideration for the North American region.”
The Mk 8 Golf was originally scheduled to make its debut in September at the Frankfurt motor show, but VW confirmed to us in March that it will be revealed later at the end of the year. The all-new Golf is expected to ride on a lighter version [...]
Just one day after announcing plans to sell notes and stock to raise much-needed capital, Tesla boosted the size of its offering to as high as $2.7 billion on Friday.
The Palo Alto, California, electric car and solar panel maker said it’s increasing the offer due to the positive response from Thursday’s announcement that it would try to raise $2.3 billion.
Also, CEO Elon Musk more than doubled the amount of stock he would buy from $10 million, to $25 million.
The offer, detailed in a filing Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, includes up to $1.84 billion in notes that pay 2% annual interest and convert to Tesla common stock in 2024. Also included are more than 3.5 million new shares worth as much as $866 million. The new numbers include underwriting brokers exercising their full options to buy additional notes and shares.
Last week, Tesla reported its cash balance at the [...]
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS made its debut at the New York auto show just a couple of weeks ago, and we recently got a taste of its off-road capabilities. We traveled to Big Dune, Nevada, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to get inside a couple of early preproduction V-8 GLS 580s and experience the new tech. We’ll take a deeper dive into the GLS at a later date, but this time we got to experience how the E-Active Body Control (EABC) works over soft and bumpy surfaces. Although more than 95 percent of owners will never take their GLS to the dunes like we did, it was cool to experience the new technology.
EABC is an optional suspension system that uses a combination of air springs and electro-hydraulic dampers with the help of a 48-volt system. Each damper gets its own hydraulic pump, so each wheel can be pushed or pulled independently using [...]
