This is How Volkswagen Does BIG.

Here’s a quiz for you: What event showcased Leith Volkswagen of Cary’s newest arrival?

Answer:  The launch of Volkswagen’s all-new 3-row, 7-passenger SUV.

Next question: What event featured appearances by the Humble Mechanic & Miss Apex?

Answer: The launch of Volkswagen’s all-new 6 and 7 passenger SUVs.

Final question: What event provided live music, hot dogs and swag bags?

Answer: The official launch party for Volkswagen’s all-new 2018 Atlas and totally re-designed 2018 Tiguan!

There was a buzz already in the air by the time Leith Volkswagen of Cary General Manager Jerame Jones was set to welcome the crowd and announce a surprise appearance.  No, it wasn’t the camera drone, flying overhead outside or the remote control racecar in the parking lot, the real buzz was just how BIG this newest addition to the VW line-up is. But even while those gathered for the occasion were busy climbing in and out of the new VW Atlas, amazed at it’s roominess and seemingly endless supply of cup holders (17 by the way), you couldn’t help but notice the vehicle nearby in the showroom covered by a Leith Volkswagen silk sheet.

Not only was Jerame and General Sales Manager Jack McCausland set to celebrate the arrival of the all-new 2018 VW Atlas with it’s 6 year, 72,000 mile limited warranty, the best SUV bumper-to-bumper transferable warranty in America but they were also set to reveal a surprise guest to the extra delight of everyone there. As Jerame Jones intoduced Miss Apex, Sydney McCoy, it was time to spill the beans!  Not only was the Leith Volkswagen of Cary team welcoming Atlas but they were also revealing a sneak peak at the all-new 2018 VW Tiguan!

Two incredibly cool, capable and all-new SUVs from Volkswagen in one night, why not?  The VW Atlas is a family size SUV with standard 3-row seating for up to 7 adults and a healthy V6 to power your adventures. Nine current model variations are available now from the Launch Edition which starts at just $33,500 all the way up to the SEL Premium with 4MOTION®.  Coming soon will be an “S” model featuring VW’s bulletproof 2.0L turbo starting at $30,500. One of the neat features of the Atlas and the slightly smaller 5-passenger 2018 Tiguan is what VW calls a “Digital Cockpit.” Instead of the traditional instrument cluster, the available 12.3-inch visual array can be displayed digitally in high resolution with the ability to store-up to four driver profiles, remembering your personalization preferences for a wide variety of different settings and systems.  That’s some cool and innovative tech worth talking about.

As staff and visitors alike enjoyed a live band in the showroom and hot dogs outside, we had a chance to speak with an old friend who formerly worked at Leith VW of Cary as a Volkswagen Master Technician, Charles “The Humble Mechanic” of YouTube fame. “The Atlas is cool”, said Charles. “It’s definitely breaking into a segment that Volkswagen hadn’t really been a strong contender in and to have something new, something that looks so fresh is exciting plus seeing the new Tiguan was a surprise too and everybody seemed to love them both.”

Speaking of the new Tiguan, it is a completely redesigned SUV, nearly 10 inches longer than it’s predecessor.  The Tiguan seats 5-passengers standard and has over 30% more cargo room bringing the new Tiguan’s cargo capacity up to 73.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

We played a fun game with some of those in attendance at Leith VW of Cary by asking folks to see if they could find and count all of the new Atlas’ 17-cup holders.  After hearing counts of 13, 14, 15 and 16, we were determined to find the elusive “17^th” cup holder!  Fortunately for us, the good folks from Volkswagen America, who were on-hand to give test drives, solved the mystery for us.  The Launch Edition does in fact have 16-cup holders because it does not have a fold-down center armrest in the 2^nd row seats.  The upper trims like the SEL Premium with 4MOTION® that was on-hand for the test drive, does have a 2^nd row fold-down center armrest which also happens to include the 17^th cup holder, mystery solved!

Go see the all-new VW Atlas and VW Tiguan for 2018 at Leith Volkswagen of Cary or Leith Volkswagen of Raleigh to discover how Volkswagen does BIG like only Volkswagen can!