The Volkswagen Atlas is a
mid-size crossover SUV
Mid-size crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between compact crossover SUV and full-size crossover SUV.
A mid-size crossover SUV ...
manufactured by the German automaker
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
since 2017. Developed mainly for the North American and Chinese market, the vehicle is based on the
Volkswagen Group MQB platform
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was first introduced in t ...
. Outside the US and Canadian markets, the vehicle is marketed as the Volkswagen Teramont. It is positioned above the long-wheelbase
Tiguan and below the smaller but upscale
Touareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berbers, Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to sou ...
.
Overview
The Atlas is marketed as the Teramont outside North America and Chile, including the Middle East (except Israel, where it's sold as the Atlas), Africa, as well as in Mexico, Russia, Colombia and China, where production in
Ningbo
Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
began in 2017. For markets outside China, the Atlas/Teramont is produced in the
Chattanooga plant in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
, United States.
The vehicle features a transverse mounted
four-cylinder
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
or Volkswagen's
narrow angle VR6.
Up to the introduction of the China-only
Talagon, the Atlas is the largest vehicle produced on the
Volkswagen Group MQB platform
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was first introduced in t ...
.
Markets
North America (Atlas)
The
CrossBlue previewed the Atlas/Teramont as a
concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
diesel
plug-in-hybrid
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
mid-size crossover SUV in September 2013. The Atlas was introduced at the
LA Auto Show
The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit s ...
in Los Angeles on November 17, 2016. The name Atlas was picked for the region after the proposed Teramont name was rejected by dealers. It went on sale in the United States and Canada in May 2017 as a 2018 model year.
Features included in the Atlas are the VW Digital Cockpit, up to of rear cargo space, seventeen total cup holders, a second row bench seat with room for three child safety seats or optional second row captains chairs with room for two child safety seats, a third row seating area that can be accessed with child safety seats still in place, standard
Android Auto
Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit.
Once an Android device is paired with the car's head unit, the syste ...
and
Apple CarPlay
CarPlay is an Apple standard which enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and a controller for an iOS device. It is available on all iPhone models beginning with iPhone 5 running iOS 7.1 or later.
According to Apple's website, all ma ...
connectivity with Volkswagen CarNet and MirrorLink, seven total stability enhancing systems, and available Volkswagen
4Motion four wheel drive system on most models.
File:2018 Volkswagen Atlas 12.24.17.jpg, Rear view
File:2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE R-Line in Reflex Silver Metallic, front left.jpg, 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE R-Line (United States)
File:2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE R-Line in Reflex Silver Metallic, rear left.jpg, 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE R-Line (United States)
Engines
The Atlas has two
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
engine options in the United States.
Safety
The 2018 Atlas received the
IIHS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a U.S. nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies, established in 1959 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle traffic collision ...
"Top Safety Pick" rating after earning "Good" ratings in all five
crashworthiness
Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact. This is commonly tested when investigating the safety of aircraft and vehicles. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved, different crit ...
tests, and a "Superior" rating on the front crash prevention test. This was in January 2018.
Facelift
At the
2020 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the refreshed Atlas for the model year of 2021. Changes include a new front end, which is based on the Atlas Cross Sport, redesigned wheels, new rear lights, and a new steering wheel. It was facelifted for Mexico on December 1, 2020, alongside the introduction of the Teramont Cross Sport.
China (Teramont)
In China, the Teramont was unveiled at the
2016 Guangzhou Auto Show. The Teramont is made in China by the
SAIC-Volkswagen
SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., formerly known as Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Anting, Shanghai, China and a joint venture between Volkswagen Group and SAIC Motor. It was ...
joint venture for the Chinese market. The Volkswagen Teramont is available with an 2.0-liter TSI, a 2.0-liter TSI, or with a 2.5-liter VR6. All variants are paired to a 7-speed DSG with the 4MOTION all-wheel drive system. The 2.0-liter engines are locally manufactured in China, while the VR6 engine is manufactured in Germany and shipped over to the factory in Shanghai. It was developed specifically for the Chinese market where engines above 3.0 liters are subject to heavy
excise tax
file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...
.
File:2018 SAIC-Volkswagen Teramont.jpg, Volkswagen Teramont (China)
File:2018 SAIC-Volkswagen Teramont (rear).jpg, Volkswagen Teramont (China)
Engines
Facelift
At the
2021 Shanghai Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled the refreshed Teramont for the model year of 2021 in China. Changes include a new front end, redesigned wheels, and new full-width rear lights. It was introduced alongside the introduction of the Teramont X 2021 facelift.
[https://netherlandsnewslive.com/renewed-volkswagen-teramont-and-teramont-x/118415/ ]
File:Volkswagen Teramont 2021 facelift 001.jpg, Facelift
File:Volkswagen Teramont 2021 facelift 002.jpg, Facelift
Two-row versions
The Atlas Cross Sport (called Teramont X in China and Teramont Cross Sport in Mexico) is a smaller variation of the Atlas/Teramont. The 4.97 meter long vehicle has the same wheelbase (2.98 meters) as the three-row model, but has a lower roof and angled rear window to give it a sportier appearance and is only available with two rows of seating instead of three.
North America (Atlas Cross Sport)
The Atlas Cross Sport debuted in North America in early 2020, as a new model for the 2020 model year. Available engines are the same as the original Atlas: a turbocharged four-cylinder and a VR6. The Atlas Cross Sport is offered in S, SE, SEL, SEL R-Line, SEL Premium, and SEL Premium
R-Line trims. The Cross Sport was previewed by the concept
CrossBlue Coupe in September 2013. This Atlas Cross Sport, known in Mexico as the Teramont Cross Sport, was introduced for the Mexican market on December 1, 2020, alongside the facelifted Teramont. It is only sold in the Highline trim level and it is equipped with the R-Line aerodynamic kit.
China (Teramont X)
The Teramont X was unveiled in April 2019 in
2019 Shanghai Auto Show. It positioned as a
coupé
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
version of the Teramont in the Chinese market. The engine options is also shared with the standard Teramont, however all Teramont X models have four-wheel drive as standard.
It features a different front fascia compared to the North American Atlas Cross Sport. The Teramont X in China received a facelift for the 2021 model year, and debuted alongside the Teramont 2021 model year facelift.
Production and sales
References
External links
*
* (Cross Sport)
{{Volkswagen (China) timeline 1984 to date
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
Cars introduced in 2017
2020s cars
Mid-size sport utility vehicles
Crossover sport utility vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars powered by VR engines