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Volkswagen has been spotted testing a prototype for a redesigned Passat.
It’s due out in 2023 and is expected to be offered exclusively in wagon form, which VW refers to as a Variant.
Don’t look for the new Passat to reach the U.S. It wouldn’t reach these shores even if it had a sedan option. That’s because the Passat sold in the U.S., which bows out after 2022, uses a separate, less-expensive platform than Passats sold in the rest of the world.
The global Passat uses Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, and the redesigned model will use an updated version of this platform. The global Passat’s corporate twin, the Skoda Superb, is also due to be redesigned shortly on the updated MQB platform. However, it is expected to be available in both sedan and wagon body styles.
2023 Volkswagen Passat Variant spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
You might be wondering why no sedan will be offered for the Passat. While the body style is on the decline in most markets, apart from China, VW will soon have a Passat sedan alternative in the form a production version of its ID.Aero concept car shown earlier this year. The electric sedan, which is tipped to go by the name ID.6, has also been spotted testing.
The ID.6 is also due in 2023, and there’s a good chance we see it in the U.S. An ID.6 wagon is also planned and with any luck we’ll also see this body style in local showrooms.
Production of the new Passat will take place at VW Group’s plant in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The powertrain lineup should consist of a series of inline-4s, including some in plug-in hybrid configuration. A redesigned Passat Alltrack soft-roader should also be coming.
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