The Name Game: Volkswagen's Manly Crossover Hero is Called 'Atlas'

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

A figure of Greek mythology with very strong back muscles will find his name plastered on Volkswagen’s upcoming three-row crossover.

According to Automobilwoche, German affiliate of Automotive News, Volkswagen has decided to name their high-hopes, Chattanooga-built model the Atlas.

The name conjures up many things, and many manly things — ideal for a broad-shouldered, seven-passenger crossover. Over the years, the Atlas name has seen plenty of use, from the muscle-bound man of mythology, to a giant rocket, to a Ford concept truck. It does, however, have an unsettling world domination ring to it.

Alas, the crossover’s name is not the Teramont, which Volkswagen trademarked in the U.S. last December. That prediction didn’t pan out, though the name remains in the VW stable — perhaps bound for another vehicle, or simply collecting dust as a runner-up. “Atlas” was trademarked in April.

Earlier this year, CEO of Volkswagen North American Region CEO Hinrich Woebcken claimed the new model would bear a “bullish, much easier to pronounce, American-style name.” Adding more vowels to “Touareg” was out of the question.

There’s a lot riding on the Atlas. The model leads the charge in Volkswagen’s SUV and crossover-heavy push to regain U.S. sales and market share lost in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal. U.S. sales are down 12 percent so far this year after last fall’s steep slide.

Built on Volkswagen’s modular MQB platform, the Atlas starts production late this year. A 2.0-liter TSI four-cylinder making 238 horsepower serves as the base engine, while the company’s venerable 280 hp 3.6-liter V6 provides extra power in uplevel trims. Sales begin in the spring.

[Image capture: YouTube]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Frozenman Frozenman on Oct 07, 2016

    'Face-Palm', what a dumb name. They should have gone with 'Little Hansel'.

  • Ryoku75 Ryoku75 on Oct 07, 2016

    Manning up the Beetle didnt work nor will renaming the Tiguan, unless if they're going to be separate albeit redundant models.

  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
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