After rumblings that Volkswagen may discontinue the Passat, it seems like the midsize sedan is here to stay. At least on a global level. According to Autocar, Volkswagen has greenlit the ninth generation to arrive in 2023, and all Passats—in whatever market they’re sold in—will sit on an updated version of the MQB platform.
The new Passat may also get an electric version, which makes sense given VW’s massive push toward EVs across the globe. The current Skoda Superb, introduced in 2015, rides on an extended MQB platform and according to Autocar will form the basis of the new Passat and provide powertrains.
All this makes us wonder what the future holds for the U.S.-market Passat. Currently, the American and Chinese versions are quite different from the one sold in Europe. While models across the pond already sit on a version of MQB, the U.S. Passat remains on an aging platform that keeps it from achieving the same refinement as top rivals in its segment. If VW wants to keep selling the Passat here, it will need some real TLC in the next few years.
It’s no secret that U.S. customers are turning their attention from sedans to crossovers, and the Passat is one of many victims of this trend. Last year, U.S. Passat sales dropped a whopping 66 percent from the year prior. The Arteon’s lackluster sales in the U.S. are a worrying sign, too. It’s plausible that the Passat as we know it could disappear in the U.S. in the not-so-distant future, making way for an electric successor—or even a crossover supplanting its role in the lineup. Speaking with Roadshow earlier this year, Volkswagen of America Chief Operating Officer Johan de Nysschen said a Passat replacement “will probably not feature an internal combustion engine.”
Volkswagen isn’t holding back on its electric offensive in the U.S. The first electric ID model to launch on our shores will be the ID 4 crossover. Eventually, this model will be built at VW’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We’ll also expecting to see a production version of the ID Space Vizzion electric wagon in the coming years.
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