Ever since the Volkswagen Arteon arrived in the United States, enthusiasts have been clamoring for a hardcore R variant. The base Arteon is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which sends a healthy 268 horsepower out to 4Motion all-wheel-drive through an eight-speed automatic transmission. While this amount of power is adequate for most drivers, enthusiasts crave more.

Enter, the VW R division. While Europe has recently received a slew of new R-branded models like the Touareg R and T-Roc R, the US has only ever been given a small taste in the form of the Golf R. Based on some recent spy shots though, the R family is about to get a lot bigger and hopefully, more than one car will make it stateside.

VW was previously spotted testing what was believed to be an Arteon R test mule in the snow. Our spy photographers have captured the car again, this time driving around the Nurburgring in Germany. VW already offers an R-Line package for the Arteon but this is clearly something greater. With very little camouflage, we can spot the Arteon R's performance gear including a deeper front bumper with larger air intakes, signature blue brake calipers with drilled discs, a small lip spoiler, and quad exhaust pipes.

Unlike the Golf R and Tiguan R, which were spotted testing alongside the Arteon R and will reportedly use a turbocharged four-cylinder producing 333 hp, the Arteon R will be getting a new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 rumored to produce 400 hp. As with other R models, power will be sent to 4Motion AWD but unlike the standard Arteon, it will be sent through a DSG dual-clutch transmission. The Arteon R is expected to arrive later this year as a 2021 model but if VW's past history with R models is any indication, it may not be available in the US.