Volkswagen's Short-term Crossover Plan: Get Asses In Seats By Removing Seats

The first salvo in Volkswagen’s battle to win the hearts and cash of the American populace arrived in the form of two crossovers: the new full-size Atlas and the vastly updated (and enlarged) second-generation Tiguan.

Both models sport three rows of seating, a key strategy for expanding the brand’s sales volume and appeal. Phase Two of the company’s U.S. campaign, however, involves ripping those seats out.

Speaking to Automotive News, Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen’s North American region, said the company plans to offer two-row versions of both models. By splitting both models into two flavors, the automaker hopes to spread a larger sales net in both segments.

“We decided the Atlas will get a slightly lower-positioned five-seater, with nice, coupe-ish styling, [but the] same dimensions,” Woebcken said. Diversifying the Atlas range is something the automaker’s chief technology officer, Matthias Erb, hinted at last year.

The new Tiguan, sporting a wheelbase nearly 11 inches longer than its predecessor, is the long-wheelbase “Allspace” version sold in Europe alongside a shorter twin. Below it, the first-gen Tiguan remains on the company’s U.S. roster as a lower-priced entry-level model. With those rearmost seats gone, expect the larger model to “get kind of a little smaller,” Woebcken claims.

Yes, we’re talking about three Tiguans, though it’s possible the old Tiguan Limited will be a thing of the past by the time the two-row revolution hits. VW tossed an eight-speed automatic into the Limited’s toolkit for 2018 in a bid to keep the model somewhat fresh.

Though Woebcken couldn’t say when exactly we’ll see either the two-row Atlas or slightly smaller Tiguan, earlier this year he claimed 2019 would, like 2017, be an SUV-focused year. A 2020 model, perhaps? The emergence of the two-row Tiguan as a future model potentially sheds light on an earlier claim that the company has a “better idea than the [overseas-only T-Roc] for North America.” Has the automaker decided a new standalone compact model just isn’t worth it in the American market?

Improving U.S. profitability is the company’s top goal, so such a move would make sense. Atlas sales rose to a new monthly high in November, while Tiguan sales, bolstered by the choice of two body sizes, reached a record 6,947 units last month. The model’s on track for its best sales year to date in 2017.

[Images: Volkswagen]