Facelifted VW Passat will be available in Europe this year

Earlier this week, we talked about Volkswagen’s plans to halt the production of the US spec Passat for a few weeks during spring. And now, we just learned new things about its European counterpart. The Wolfsburg based manufacturer said that the Euro spec Passat will be out in the market very soon, though they did not give a particular date.

Dr. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Volkswagen brand, said in his speech at the annual Volkswagen Media Conference, that the Passat is almost ready to arrive in dealerships across the Old Continent. But he stops there and does not give any other details. However, he did mention that the Passat will be available as Variant and hybrid models.

Unlike the US spec Passat, the European variant of the model sits on an MQB platform. The eighth generation of the D segment vehicle was launched way back in 2014, as a premium car that is still affordable to most. This model will be available as a traditional sedan, a practical wagon, and a rugged Alltrack wagon.

Right now, the VW Passat is being offered in three gasoline and three diesel motors. Take note that all of them come with a turbocharger. The entry level model has about 118 horsepower (88 kilowatts) with its 1.6 TDI unit. Customers can go all the way up to 276 horsepower (206 kilowatts) for the range topping 2.0 TSI. Aside from those, there is also the GTE hybrid version that comes with a 1.4 liter gas engine combined with a compact 115 horsepower (85 kilowatts) electric motor.

It would be best if you do not expect any major changes in that department, but the CO2 and fuel consumption numbers have improved a little. Lastly, Volkswagen’s current 1.4 TSI that has been around for quite some time will be replaced with the new 1.5 liter TSI.

Currently, the Passat is still on top of Europe’s D-segment, delivering as much as 180,000 units last year. Next in line would be the Skoda Superb, the Opel Insignia, Ford Mondeo, and the Renault Talisman.

In other news, Volkswagen plans to come out with a total of 22 new vehicles this year, 9 of those, however, will be in China alone. If you see the list, you would quickly conclude that the automaker is currently focusing on SUVs and electric vehicles.

The Tiguan will soon have a plug in version in China. And new nameplates include the new Bora as a fully electric vehicle. The e-Golf will now be locally produced in China instead of it being imported from Europe.

As for the United States, VW introduced the Jetta to that market earlier this year, which will be followed by the luxury sedan, the Arteon, soon.