Volkswagen is igniting the next stage of its global SUV campaign. After recently presenting the new Touareg in China, Volkswagen is now presenting – at the New York International Auto Show (March 28 to April 08) – two new versions of the Atlas developed for the USA: the Atlas Cross Sport and the Atlas Tanoak. The two concept cars illustrate how the Atlas range could be expanded into a model family. With its hybrid drive and a coupé-like rear body design, the five-seat, near-production Atlas Cross Sport was developed for use in metropolitan areas like New York or San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Atlas Tanoak pickup – with its innovative cargo system – is an ideal choice for driving across America’s expansive landscapes. Both Atlas concept cars feature extensively digitalized interiors.
The Atlas is a successful newcomer in the SUV market in the USA. More than 36,000 units have already been sold since it was launched on the market last year. This success confirms that Volkswagen has developed precisely the right car for this important segment with the Atlas. In Manhattan, Volkswagen is now demonstrating – with the show cars it is presenting there – how the Atlas model series will not stop with just one model.
Atlas Cross Sport
The decision has already been made to manufacture the production version of the Atlas Cross Sport at the US plant in Chattanooga (Tennessee) together with the seven-seat Atlas and the Passat. Volkswagen will invest around 340 million US dollars in the new SUV’s market launch – in addition to investments of around 900 million US dollars already made to expand the plant for Atlas production.
Like the seven-seat Atlas, the new five-seater is also based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB). The Atlas Sport Cross impresses with a sporty rear body in coupé style and a plug-in hybrid drive (PHEV) with an all-electric driving range of 70 kilometers (NEDC) or 26 miles (EPA). Its high-performance battery can be charged either externally or while driving. A second version of the Atlas Cross Sport has a conventional hybrid drive without an external battery charging function (HEV). This version can also be driven temporarily in an all-electric mode (electric range approx. 2.5 kilometers or 1.5 miles). Both models have all-wheel drive (4MOTION with electric propshaft).
The gasoline powered model has a 3.6 FSI V6. The six-cylinder engine produces 280 PS of power; its maximum torque is 350 Nm. This engine is assisted by two electric motors in both versions. The front motor develops 40 kW and 220 Nm and the rear motor 85 kW and 270 Nm. It is supplied with energy that comes from a compact lithium-ion battery mounted in the transmission tunnel. Its energy capacity – and this is where the PHEV and HEV differ – is either 18.0 kWh (PHEV) or 2.0 kWh (HEV). The total system power of the two drive systems: 265 kW / 360 PS (PHEV) and 231 kW / 314 PS (HEV).
Atlas Tanoak
Volkswagen is presenting a pickup whose technical DNA follows the modular transverse matrix (MQB) for the first time: the all-wheel drive Atlas Tanoak. The pickup is named after a species of tree that is home to the Pacific Coast and grows up to 45 meters in height. At a length of 5,438 mm, the Tanoak is considered a mid-size pickup in the USA. The concept car is 2,030 mm wide and 1,844 mm tall. The Atlas Tanoak has been designed as a five-seater with a dual cab. Behind the dual cab is a cargo box measuring 1,627 mm in length, 1,450 in width and 530 mm in height.
The cargo box has been designed to transport bikes, boards and smaller boats. Take the example of boats: there is a newly developed cargo bracket on the cargo bed, which can be released from its parked position near the rear window of the dual cab and be moved to the side walls of the cargo box. This produces a carrier system that can be used to transport canoes, for example, by easily and securely fastening them to fixed mounting points at the cargo bracket and on the roof of the Atlas Tanoak.
Propulsive power for the pickup comes from a 3.6-liter V6 FSI engine of the Atlas model series with an output of 280 PS. It transfers its power and a maximum torque of 350 Nm variably to the two axles via a 4MOTION all-wheel drive system and an 8-speed automatic transmission.
