Tempting or still too expensive?
Volkswagen revealed the CC-replacing Arteon for the U.S. crowd back in February 2018 at the Chicago Auto Show with the intent to have the stylish car on sale by year’s end. However, things didn’t go as planned since Wolfsburg’s Audi A5 Sportback was delayed due to the switch from NEDC to WLTP in Europe, which caused a backlog in meeting the stricter emissions regulations. The U.S.-spec Arteon was put on the back burner, but now it has finally arrived stateside.
Launching a new vehicle in the U.S. that’s not a crossover or an SUV is a bit of gamble nowadays, and VW is well aware the Arteon is facing a tough future. In an attempt to lure in more buyers, it looks like there’s a sweet $2,500 discount available as a dealer cash incentive. Bear in mind this doesn’t necessarily mean the attractive five-seater can be had with this price cut at any dealer across the U.S. As CarsDirect points out, it’s up to the dealers to decide whether they want to pass this discount along or keep the car’s asking price intact to make a higher profit.
With no new Touareg available in North America and a next-gen Phaeton still likely a few years away, the Arteon has been promoted to flagship status. It starts off at $35,845 and undercuts the Audi A5 Sportback by nearly $8,400, but some might find the rear-wheel-drive Kia Stinger GT with its powerful V6 more tempting at around $39,000 before discounts.
The Arteon might prove to be a better deal through financing. For example, VW Credit has a $2,000 dealer APR bonus available together with 2.9-percent financing for 60 months. Considering an Arteon specced to a price tag of around $38,000 and factoring in the aforementioned $2,500 incentive, it would set you back $40,195 for a 60-month loan at 5 percent. Financing would lower the price by almost $1,500, to $38,717.
CarsDirect compared the Arteon with the Accord 2.0 Touring and found out the VW is $23 more expensive to lease monthly than the Honda and at the same time $123 pricier than a base Stinger. VW offers a lease on the Arteon from $429 for 39 months with $3,499 to pay at signing, so it’ll effectively cost you $519 per month. There’s also a 10,000-mile limit per year to take into consideration before signing your name on the dotted line.
Previous reports have stated VW could spice up the Arteon with a more practical wagon variant and a beefier 400-horsepower R variant equipped with a new turbocharged VR6 engine. However, it remains to be seen if these will eventually see the light of day and whether they’ll be coming to the U.S.
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