2026 VW Atlas.
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The VW Atlas came out in 2017. A very conservative design even back then, it never really looked great or even modern.
Its interior was also a letdown in many ways. The Atlas is one of these VW models that has never been sold in Europe. Its main goal is to fulfill VW’s strange idea of the American market. Where they think VW consumers only want something as large as it can be, for the least amount of money possible. Even in a German car.
The VW Atlas is sold in China as the VW Teramont. Another place where they like their VWs big and cheap I guess…
Sales were OK for a few years, with up to over 83,000 sold in 2020. However, things have gone pretty bad since. Down to 43,900 in 2022. Although back to over 60,000 last year. Probably due to another facelift and an improved interior. However, that compares to over 110,000 units of the Kia Telluride sold just last year. I guess that’s what happens when you put in the effort, and come up with a fantastic package that includes a great design and interior.
There is an all-new Atlas/Teramont on its way, and we’ve been seeing a few spy shots for a while. Today we get a small glimpse of its interior. Which looks fine, until you realize that generic VW tablet screen is also in there. The same exact screen they’ve been using on everything since the arrival of their ID models. In the US, we have it in the ID.4. But it has since spread into the VW GTI and the upcoming VW ID. Buzz. The worst part is that it never fit the interior design it is used with. It just stickers out in the worst way possible. This is especially too bad in the case of the next-generation VW Atlas since it seems the rest of the interior is quite a step up from the current generation.
Since the new Atlas is based on the same platform, no big powertrain changes are expected, with the good old 2.0 Liter Turbo being the main course. However, VW could potentially bring their PHEV tech over here for the first time. This could give the new Atlas some edge over the competition, except for the Mazda CX-70/CX-90.