According to the people responsible for the design of the Atlas, VW’s new seven-seater SUV is the result of a two year process driven by the report American buyers tend have with their vehicles.
The Atlas is of course derived from the CrossBlue concept that first broke ground back in 2013. However, unlike the CrossBlue, the Atlas is a lot bigger and more substantial in appearance, according to the automaker.
“Size does matter, especially for families,” says Klaus Bischoff, head of VW Design. “The first designs we showed were literally too small, too compact, designed too much out of a European perspective. We had to get used to the vehicle size that’s more appropriate for America. The roads are wider, the cities are bigger, and we grew into that. The fascial expression of a car defines its character. We wanted to give the car a wide appearance, and an earnest look. It should look substantial, without looking too aggressive.”
This philosophy is what drove the design team every step of the way. From the grille and the standard LED headlights to the stitching in the seats. It’s why the LED Daytime Running Lights were integrated into the grille itself. Overall, however, the look of the Atlas is meant to age well – and by well, we mean not go out of fashion in two or three years time. At least that’s what VW thinks.
The clean yet overall, robust design also made its way into the cabin where the Atlas features a balanced and uncomplicated layout – not just for the dashboard, but for the software interfaces as well (like the available VW Digital Cockpit. Finally, in order to create a welcoming atmosphere inside, the Atlas design team actually drew inspiration from high-end furniture.
“Everything’s well balanced with no complicated corners and no clutter,” added interior designer Tomasz Bachorski. “This was really important to us to make this really simple, because our lives outside the car are complicated enough.”
The new Volkswagen Atlas SUV is currently on display at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.
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