It’s tough times for the Passat in the United States so VW is doubling down on its luxury and “sedan-ness” to sell more Passats come début next year.
The exact opposite of a bold and angular crossover, so popular in today’s car market, has to be a VW Passat. A handsome but overall sleep inducing designed sedan is the exact opposite of what Americans want, and the sales numbers reflect that. No, bother as per our friends over at VW Vortex earlier this week (Oct. 12, 2018) VW is aiming to change momentum for Passat sales here in America with an even better looking Passat with more of everything if the 2019 Passat début in China is a strong sign of things to come.
Dit is de nieuwe VW Passat… voor China #vw #volkswagen #passat Zie https://t.co/cWu37cwDUG pic.twitter.com/EGse0tIKrv
— Auto55.be (@auto55be) October 12, 2018
The current 2018 VW Passat looks downright pedestrian, it’s as if VW took a Jetta and enlarged it by 20 percent. Without any dash or flavor, it’s bound to continue its downward trend. According to GoodCarBadCar Passat sales started plummeting in 2011 with a high of 122,511 Passats to today where close to year’s end, only 33,527 Passats have been driven off showroom floors.
Still, Passats are selling and to abandon this D-segment sedan would be foolhardy for the future.
Not wanting to overshadow the yet to be revealed VW Arteon, a much more expensive sedan coming to the United States, this 2020 US Passat will be a notch less luxurious inside and a little shorter. This Chinese Passat sports a posh rear interior with copious amounts of legroom, things the American market cares not for.
Power for the new Passat will come from VW’s 2.0T with 197 HP and 207 lb-ft or the optional more powerful 2.0T with slightly more power. Expect a hybrid powertrain option combining VW’s 1.4T plus motor and battery pack to bolster VW’s plan for a lineup with alternative energies.
This 2019 VW Passat for China certainly looks very luxurious and would sway some buyers looking over at its more expensive siblings at Audi but I doubt sales will improve by much. Almost all competitors with sedans have stepped it up tremendously as well, the much cheaper Accord looks just as handsome as the Passat and has real charectar.
I’ll be curious to see how VW markets this large sedan when it finally does début stateside.
