The Volkswagen Arteon has been hovering on the edge of mortality for a while now, but a dealer notification suggests that the sedan is officially dead, at least for American consumers.
“Please note that the Model Year 2023 marks the end of the Arteon production for the US market,” the letter, which was shared on social media platforms, reads. “Volkswagen will continue to feature the ever-popular Jetta and GLI in our sedan lineup, our core models that offer exceptional performance and style.”
When reached for comment, VW spokesperson Mark Gillies confirmed that Arteon will be discontinued. That comes as a minor surprise because, in May, VW published a release stating that the Arteon would return for the 2024 model year. That document has since been updated to exclude the sedan (you can read the original document here, and the updated document here).
Read: VW Kills Arteon As It Vows To Reduce Lineup And Focus On Profit Generators
Gillies pointed to statements made by Volkswagen CEO, Thomas Schafer, announcing that the production of low-volume models such as the Arteon would be ended, as parts of its “Accelerate Forward | Road to 6.5” plan. The company is making these cuts in order to both save and make more money. A timeline for the Arteon’s exit was not made clear, though.
Introduced in 2017, the sleek sedan was welcomed by many because of its attractive design. However, it never managed to capture the buying public’s wallets. In the first half of 2023, VW sold just 1,155 Arteons in the U.S., as compared to 16,224 Jettas, and 38,785 Tiguans.
In fact, in from January to June, the Arteon was the slowest-selling Volkswagen in America. Even that was an improvement over its performance in 2022, though. In the first half of the preceding year, just 170 Arteons were delivered, meaning that 2023 was a 580 percent improvement.
However, the death of Arteon does not mean the end of sleek VW sedans. That’s because the Arteon will have a spiritual successor, in the form of the all-electric ID.7. Gillies confirmed that the model will be sold as a 2025 model year vehicle, as indicated in the dealer notification.
As is customary for the brand, VW first unveiled the ID.7 in Europe earlier this year. There, it will be available with up to 435 miles (700 km) of range on the WLTP cycle, and up to 282 hp (210 kW / 286 PS). A high-performance ID.7 GTX is also planned, and a recent concept car is anything to go on, it could make as much as 550 hp (410 kW/558 PS).
