BIG WHEELS AND BALANCED PROPORTIONS
On a car that was born by hybridising four-door saloon, coupé and hatchback, design of the formal relationships between different elements is fundamental for the success of the initial idea. It is not just a question of tweaking the balance between height (kept down to 1.43 m) and width (standing at 1.87 m), in order to obtain a car body with a feline look, nor of exploiting the MQB modular platform to lengthen the wheelbase to 2.84 m (compared to a length of 4.86 m) generating perfect, pronounced but dynamic overhangs. On the Volkswagen Arteon it is the very design of the roof that produces a well calibrated visual volume: a mass that shifts the look forward, suggesting an acceleratory movement.
This layout interacts perfectly with the line that, as Volkswagen brand design chief, Klaus Bischoff, explains “runs round the whole perimeter of the car, from the grille to the tail lights”, redefining and lowering the side.
The wheels, finally, can reach a diameter of up to 20″ (against 19” on the more powerful versions of the Passat) becoming significant, specific reference points, which further refine the way the observer perceives the proportions.
#Arteon @Volkswagen
