Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen may have let slip a few details surrounding the future of the Passat. This not only details your next company car purchase but also gives us insight into how VW functions right now.
Unless we're mistaken, the Passat is now Volkswagen's oldest surviving model. It came out in 1972, two years ahead of the Golf. In that time, they've sold over 30 million units, but it nearly got discontinued.
According to the final details from a report by British magazine Autocar, Volkswagen China officials were the ones who convinced the big bosses to greenlight the Passat B9. Thank god for that! We're not in love with the German sedan, but the mid-sized segment wouldn't be a party without it.
The major take-away from this story is actually that an all-new Passat will arrive in the UK in 2023. Presumably, every other major market will get one at the same time because it's now going to be the same all over the world, a bit like Ford tried with its cars last decade.
Some have interpreted this to mean the European and American models will be the same. "Finally, the MQB platform will be used," they're thinking. However, we can't confirm this is the case. Engineering for the U.S. can prove altogether more difficult, and some of the features from Germany are just too expensive in this class.
And should we even call this a German car? The 2023 Passat will be assembled in the Czech Republic by Kvasiny plant that also makes the Superb. Normally, we'd be concerned about this, but Skoda actually has tight quality control.
Regarding technical details, the Autocar report claims a larger car is on its way. The 2023 Passat will stretch its wheelbase for better legroom and increase its track width for stability. Either VW wants to copy Skoda's homework or China simply had a strong say in this.
The new MQB platform is said to be more advanced than before and even allows engineers to make a fully electric version of the car. The wagon body will be preserved, along with the Alltrack. But the sedan might transition to the popular liftback style, which you already see on the Arteon coupe.
According to the final details from a report by British magazine Autocar, Volkswagen China officials were the ones who convinced the big bosses to greenlight the Passat B9. Thank god for that! We're not in love with the German sedan, but the mid-sized segment wouldn't be a party without it.
The major take-away from this story is actually that an all-new Passat will arrive in the UK in 2023. Presumably, every other major market will get one at the same time because it's now going to be the same all over the world, a bit like Ford tried with its cars last decade.
Some have interpreted this to mean the European and American models will be the same. "Finally, the MQB platform will be used," they're thinking. However, we can't confirm this is the case. Engineering for the U.S. can prove altogether more difficult, and some of the features from Germany are just too expensive in this class.
And should we even call this a German car? The 2023 Passat will be assembled in the Czech Republic by Kvasiny plant that also makes the Superb. Normally, we'd be concerned about this, but Skoda actually has tight quality control.
Regarding technical details, the Autocar report claims a larger car is on its way. The 2023 Passat will stretch its wheelbase for better legroom and increase its track width for stability. Either VW wants to copy Skoda's homework or China simply had a strong say in this.
The new MQB platform is said to be more advanced than before and even allows engineers to make a fully electric version of the car. The wagon body will be preserved, along with the Alltrack. But the sedan might transition to the popular liftback style, which you already see on the Arteon coupe.
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