The following-generation Volkswagen Passat will come solely as a wagon.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen model, has confirmed rumours the next-generation mannequin gained’t be provided as a sedan.
In remarks reported by Automotive Information Europe, Mr Schäfer additionally confirmed deliveries of the next-generation mannequin will begin in Europe in September.
It’ll be adopted by the Skoda Very good, which is able to roll off the identical manufacturing line in Bratislava, Slovakia. This would be the first era of European Passat to not be produced in Emden, Germany as that plant is now producing electrical autos.
The Very good will proceed to be provided in two physique kinds: a liftback and a wagon.
The brand new Passat is predicted to develop in measurement to extra intently align with its Skoda cousin, and Mr Schäfer instructed Automotive Information Europe the 2 autos have been developed by Skoda.
The 2 have been Europe’s best-selling mid-sizers in 2022, with the Passat sitting at 66,621 gross sales – down 20 per cent – and the Very good at 45,042 gross sales.
The corporate has beforehand indicated the next-gen Passat stays underneath assessment for Australia.
Volkswagen had beforehand recommended it was weighing introducing a plug-in hybrid model of the next-generation Passat domestically, however has subsequently stopped in need of confirming a neighborhood launch for the next-gen mannequin.
The corporate has additionally referred to as the ID.7, an electrical sedan comparable in measurement to the Passat, “not on our listing of ones that we’re making an attempt actually laborious to herald [to Australia]”.
The sedan model of the present European Passat has already ended manufacturing, and the unrelated North American Passat sedan additionally exited manufacturing across the similar time.
That leaves simply the Chinese language-market, MQB-based Passat sedan.
Prototypes of the brand new Passat have been spied carrying disguise that makes them resemble the outgoing mannequin, however nonetheless it’s doubtless it’ll be a reasonably evolutionary design.
It does seem extra curvaceous nevertheless, in line with the next-generation Tiguan additionally set to debut this yr, and it’ll doubtless be bigger.
The present Passat wagon measures 4777mm lengthy, 1832mm extensive and 1477mm tall (1506mm on the Alltrack) on a 2791mm wheelbase.
The Alltrack shares the wagon’s dimensions besides it’s 1506mm tall. All fashions have 650L of boot house, increasing to 1780L with the rear seats folded.
In distinction, the present Skoda Very good wagon is 79mm longer and 32mm wider on a 50mm longer wheelbase, and has an additional 10L of boot house, or 170L further with the rear seats dropped.
Ought to the Passat exit the native line-up, it will symbolize the primary time since 1994 that the model hasn’t provided the long-running nameplate in Australia.
It could additionally go away the Arteon liftback and Taking pictures Brake wagon because the model’s solely mid-sized passenger vehicles in Australia.
The Arteon isn’t too far off the Passat in gross sales – Volkswagen offered 612 final yr, in opposition to 759 Passats and 158 Passat Alltracks – however its future isn’t assured globally.
Way back to 2020 there have been reviews the Arteon wouldn’t get replaced after the present era.
MORE: The whole lot Volkswagen Passat