Passat and Jetta to Drive VW Forward

Volkswagen has introduced the new Passat at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit last week and people are already talking about the new models that could be released in the States by the German manufacturer. However, Volkswagen says that no new products will follow in the future as the company will continue to focus on its existing range rather than develop new vehicles for new segments.

Jonathan Browning, Volkswagen Group of America CEO, said in a statement that the newly-launched Passat and the popular Jetta will be the two main models responsible for driving the company forward in the United States. Volkswagen will however concentrate on six different areas, according to a report by Automotive News Europe, as follows: products, quality, customer experience, brand development, dealer networks and used-car performance.

"We've got a pretty broad lineup today, so we are very much focused on more deeply penetrating the segments we're in," Browning told the Automotive News World Congress. "Somewhere along the way, frankly, we lost our bearings in this market and we failed to build on that emotional equity and became more of a marginal brand."

The fresh Passat for the United States, which will be produced in the new plant in Chattanooga, will go on sale on the local market in August this year and will be offered with multiple engines: a range topping VR6 which spits 280 hp (controlled by a standard dual clutch transmission), a five-cylinder petrol which develops 170 ps and a Clean Diesel (TDI) good for 140 ps.

There will be three different trim levels, S, SE and SEL. The entry level offers more than other similar models do, starting with tire pressure monitoring system, ESP electronic stabilization program, ABS with braking assistant, Hill Climb Assist and going all the way to six airbags and outside temperature display with frost warning.