After the Jetta, the Passat is the most important model on the US market for VW. In the end, however, demand collapsed, with almost 57.000 customers opting for the overseas version of the mid-size sedan in the first eight months of the year. Almost 17 percent less than in the already weak previous year. So time for a revision.
A refurbished design and more equipment - that is the recipe with which Volkswagen of America is helping its former hope for better chances in tough competition with the top dogs Toyota Camry, Ford Taurus and Honda Accord. Toyota's best-selling limousine alone sells more than four times as well as the Passat.
Against the background of the diesel affair, it remains uncertain whether improvements such as optional LED light, higher-quality interior materials and the new infotainment system will change the situation. The lifted Passat is also to be offered with one of the four-cylinder diesels objected to - it is currently unclear whether this will remain the case. The petrol engine now has a modern 1,8-liter turbo that replaces the ancient 2,5-liter naturally aspirated engine of the previous model. The top engine is still a 3,6 liter six-cylinder petrol engine.
The weak demand for the mid-range model is one of the reasons for the VW problems in the USA. Incidentally, the US Passat does not have much in common with the car offered in Europe except for the name - under its still similarly drawn sheet metal there is old technology that is only used for North America and China. The quasi-premium sedan as we know it becomes a larger, but also cheaper budget model.
In competition with the strong competition from Japan, Korea and the USA, the Passat, which is rather solid than shiny, has so far been able to rely to some extent on the unique selling point of the diesel engine and on the good reputation of German engineering - but this will not work until further notice. The lifted Passat is likely to become the first automobile victim of the exhaust gas affair after the environment and US consumers.