Here's the New Volkswagen Atlas Before You're Supposed to See It

Volkswagen isn't bringing the current-generation Touareg to the United States. Buyers are instead stuck with the less sophisticated Atlas. The big SUV has been around since 2017 and has already gone through two facelifts, but now work is underway on the second-generation model—which you can see here ahead of schedule.

This is technically the VW Teramont Pro, effectively the Chinese version from the SAIC-VW joint venture. The boxy SUV hasn't been officially revealed in China but the cat is out of the bag via the local Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Each new car homologated there goes through a specific process, which involves publishing revealing images on MIIT's website. It's been going on for years, and yet automakers don't seem to have a problem with the central government ministry effectively leaking the design of future cars.

The design... isn't the most exciting. We're looking at two different trim levels judging by the front air intakes. They're much bigger on the white Teramont Pro, suggesting it's a sportier-looking version with a presumably higher price tag. It remains to be seen whether the equivalent American version will be an R-Line trim or not but it should look almost identical. The Chinese model does feature an R logo behind the panel covering the grille.

The styling represents a significant departure from the current Atlas, and not necessarily for the better. It looks quite bland from just about all angles. The front and rear fascias give us the impression of a supersized Tiguan while the sides host flush door handles for a smoother profile. The outgoing Atlas isn't necessarily a pretty SUV either, but its replacement looks even more generic.

Besides these images (no interior shots, sorry), the MIIT website also lists some technical specifications. We learn the China-specific Teramont Pro is 203 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 70.3 inches tall. The wheelbase measures 117.3 inches for a three-row SUV that weighs 4,750 pounds. Compared to the Atlas, it's 2.3 inches longer but has an identical wheelbase and width along with virtually the same height.

Power is provided by a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine making 268 hp, delivered to all four wheels judging by the 4Motion badge. There's no word about the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter VR6 but we'll remind you the American model dropped it for the 2024 model year. However, the first-generation Teramont offers a beefier 2.5-liter V-6 turbo engine in China.

The next-generation US-spec Atlas should arrive for the 2026 model year, following an official debut at some point in 2025. Chances are SAIC-VW will lift the veil off the China-specific Teramont Pro before.