Over in Europe, the Passat is a four-wheeled institution. Hugely popular until only recently, the D-segment model entered its ninth generation in September 2023 as the twin of the Skoda Superb.
The catch? Assembled in Slovakia rather than Germany, the Passat has been reduced to nothing more than a mid-size wagon. The Czech alternative soldiers on as a wagon and liftback. Obviously enough, the Superb is made in Bratislava as well.
Why did the Wolfsburg-based automaker decide against a sedan for the Passat? For starters, the four-door body style isn’t exactly popular in the Old Continent nowadays. But more importantly, Volkswagen decided that one D-segment sedan is more than enough as the German automaker pivots to an EV-only lineup for the European continent.
What if the B9 featured a sedan option as well? Next-Gen Car is much obliged to show us what it could have been by means of Photoshop. Imagined from the front and rear quarter views, the four-door design study is a tad more elegant than the wagon.
Be that as it may, elegance doesn’t really sell nowadays. Everyone and their dog is crazy about crossovers, a vehicle type that can be described as the best compromise in the automotive industry.
While the wagon may handle better due to its lower center of gravity, bear in mind the crossover is considered that little bit cooler in the eyes of many. Also worthy of note, Volkswagen already has plenty of crossovers on sale in the Old Continent.
Photo: Next-Gen Car on YouTube
The list starts with the Taigo and T-Cross, which both share the Polo’s MQB A0 platform. Higher up the spectrum, there are the T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, and Touareg. Oh, and don’t forget the ID.4 and ID.5 all-electric crossovers either.
Still based on the MQB platform of the B8, the B9-generation Passat will go on sale in early 2024 with a choice of turbo gasoline and turbo diesel mills. Of course, mild- and plug-in hybrid powertrains are available as well. Volkswagen didn’t mention how many units it expects to sell in the first year of production, although chances are that it’s not going to match the commercial success of the B8.
Once capable of moving in excess of 300,000 units per year, the Passat sold 115,363 examples in 2020, then 82,488 in 2021. Last year, a meager 65,844 were purchased in the European Union and the United Kingdom. By comparison, the Tiguan moved a grand total of 147,388 units in 2022.
European tastes in cars have clearly shifted in the past few years, and with this ongoing shift, Volkswagen may kill off the Passat in the near future. Will it be missed? A handful of people certainly will, yet try to look at the big picture. With the Volkswagen Group spending billions of euros on its transition to electric vehicles, the automaker simply cannot afford to pour billions of euros into products that are doomed to fail.
The question is, would you consider the 2024 Volkswagen Passat Variant over the Tiguan? If so, why would you pick the wagon over the CUV?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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