Report: Sexy Wagon Variant of Remarkably Low Volume Car NOT Inbound to the U.S. As We Speak

Imagine the exasperation among the six or so people who would have bought this thing after hearing that the slinky wagon version of the Volkswagen Arteon won’t make it stateside. Imagine!

Yes, it appears that the vehicle previewed in a mess of alluring spy shots is not en route to the United States in a fleet of USAF C-17s, part of an all-out effort to get desirable product to the most receptive market as quickly as possible.

When we last checked on the situation, VW brass hadn’t yet decided whether the upcoming Arteon wagon would find a home here. A bigger issue among top executives was the basic Arteon liftback’s barely-there presence on U.S. roads (an issue expected to be rectified, to some degree, by a bump in advertising).

Now, Car and Driver reports that the Arteon wagon will bypass the U.S. on its way to customers in Europe and China. Don’t expect the U.S. Geological Survey to record tremors caused by jaws hitting the floor.

The automaker will also call the model a “shooting brake” in these overseas markets — a move that further bastardizes automotive terminology in the name of marketing. A shooting brake typically has two doors, but coupes typically sport fewer than four, so everything’s out the window these days.

Not only will Americans not receive the Arteon wagon, they won’t have the Arteon R to mull over, either. The high-performance variant, said to don a hotter 2.0-liter turbo with about 330 horsepower, is apparently something only foreign buyers will be able to enjoy.

At least there’s some improvements on the way for the model’s 2021 refresh.

It’s lean times in the industry, with cost cutting and slashed build configurations being the norm even before the coronavirus pandemic took a big bite out of future profits. Few should be surprised by these developments.

[Image: Tim Healey/TTAC]