Enlarge Image Volkswagen

Volkswagen will delay the US market launch of its new Arteon sedan until "early in 2019," a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The Arteon was originally scheduled to arrive in the US this summer, following its introduction in Europe in 2017.

"The new timeline is due to delays in the certification process caused by a backlog in meeting WLTP worldwide emissions testing," a Volkswagen spokesperson confirmed in an email to Roadshow.

Volkswagen was already expecting sale and production delays because of the stricter Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) guidelines. VW CEO Herbert Diess described the switch to WLTP as "a titanic task" in a speech to investors (PDF) earlier this year. The new WLTP regulations went into effect on September 1.

The Arteon sedan initially debuted at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, and went on sale in the European market later that year. Volkswagen introduced the US-spec version at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show in February, and showed an R-Line version at the New York Auto Show in March, at which time we were told the car would arrive in the fall.

Assuming the Arteon's US launch isn't delayed any further, we'll have a full test early next year. For now, click here to read our impressions of the Euro-spec version, from June 2017.