It may sound hard to believe, but the Volkswagen Jetta hasn't had a complete redesign since 2010. That's an eternity in this business, especially since chief rivals like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Hyundai Elantra have all been redesigned since then (in the case of the Civic, twice). Fortunately, the seventh-generation Jetta will be making its official debut next month at Detroit, and Volkswagen has just released a few official sketches of its next compact sedan.

Compared to the outgoing model, the 2019 Jetta doesn't look nearly as conservative. In fact, the styling appears to be directly taken from the new Arteon. The front grille is bold while the headlights appear to be LEDs. Although it's not considered to be a four-door coupe, notice how the rear C-pillar is angled towards the trunk. This creates a short rear deck and further establishes the fact the traditional sedan three-box design is a thing of the past. Overall, the new Jetta looks literally like a scaled-down Arteon. Heck, even the US market Passat looks even more conservative than it already did. The interior design has also been previewed here with a single sketch and, to be honest, it's very Audi-esque.

Notice the large infotainment screen and an overall clean, but oh so very German aesthetic. Based on these sketches alone, Volkswagen seems to have a winner on its hands. Question is, will the increasing popularity of the crossover segment ultimately harm sedans like the new Jetta? We'll be on hand next month at Detroit for our first look at the 2019 Jetta, but we expect Volkswagen to reveal official photos and specs before then.