[WorldAtlas]

I suppose VW figured that some people would want just two rows even if you could fold down the third row. So Volkswagen Group of America CEO Hinrich Woebcken told Automotive News, "We decided the Atlas will get a slightly lower-positioned five-seater, with nice, coupe-ish styling, [but the] same dimensions."

Not sure about the coupe roofline, originally thought they would just remove the third row and call it a day.

 

[knedrgr]

Assuming they're taking the same play out of BMW and Merc's playbooks
X4
X6
GLC (coupe)
GLE (coupe)

 

[WorldAtlas]

A smaller Atlas would interest me since I'm still waiting for my current lease to end. The extra row is handy when in use but a smaller variant has its appeal too. My only gripe is when they refer to it as coupe-like. Those roof lines have never appealed to me and vision through the rear window isn't the best.