This past week I have to say I had a very cool run in with something that was completely unexpected. In the New York Tri-State region, if you see a car undergoing developmental testing usually it is under camouflage.
The reason is simple: There's a lot of eyes and a lot of mobile devices with cameras floating around. Drive something pre-launch here and it's bound to be spied.
On my morning commute I was doing the stop and go thing across the George Washington Bridge. It's not particularly fun but if you put on a podcast and zone out, it all happens relatively quick. Just over the bridge and on the offramp that spits you out onto the Westside Highway, I ran across something I had not seen before.
There's a good reason for this: It was a Volkswagen Arteon. This is a vehicle that's not due to be in the States for a full year No camouflage or anything.
What I did find funny, however, was the headliess dummy occupying the front passenger seat. Must be for testing purposes.
According to Volkswagen's press team, there's no official timeline for arrival and there's no official price. The estimate is it will hit our shores sometime next summer. Oh, and it will get one motor: A 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder — I am guessing it will be a four given this is a hugely used motor in the VW portfolio and the VW press person who responded just said it will feature a "2.0-liter turbo."
Considering VW's rather bland design as of late, this A7 wannabe looked fantastic on the road. It looked futuristic and definitely left a lasting impression on me.
That said, what say you, Spies?
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