Spy photographers met up with this Volkswagen sedan in the Alps this week. Most likely, it's the next-generation Volkswagen Passat, as the current sedan (introduced in the U.S. for 2006) is coming up due for a redesign.
But there's also a chance we're looking at VW's New Midsize Sedan (NMS), the larger, lower-cost sedan that the automaker is engineering just for the U.S. market. That sedan is supposed to start production in Tennessee in the latter half of 2011. And it's still unknown exactly how similar or different this sedan will be from the Passat world car.
In either case, this sedan has the square jaw of the New Compact Coupe Concept (i.e., Jetta coupe) shown at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. In profile, though, it doesn't look much different from today's Volkswagen CC, though in sensible Passat tradition, it appears more upright and less coupe-like.
There's a quick shot of the interior after the jump, where you can see that this new sedan adopts the CC interior pretty much as-is. This is a good thing, since the VW CC has one of the nicest cabins in its price range.
If this indeed the redesigned Volkswagen Passat, expect a formal unveiling before the year is out, with VW starting European sales late this year or in early 2011.
rollk says:
09:29 AM, 05/12/10
Wait... so there's going to be a Passat and another mid-size car in America? Or is the Passat going more up-scale (ie 5/E/6 fighter?)
cr_driver says:
10:09 AM, 05/12/10
That`s quite a new style camouflage, at least for me.
technetium99 says:
10:40 AM, 05/12/10
What I understood was that the US won't be getting the new Passat, but will get the NMS in its place.
editorbrown says:
10:44 AM, 05/12/10
Photos were shot on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, one of the most spectacular hillclimbs in Europe. The Austrian toll road is open from May 1, and it's a life experience to run a sports car to the top. Beware the weekends, however, when crowds of European "hogsters" on Harleys clog the 48km route.
1487 says:
11:17 AM, 05/12/10
which car is that? thats the question.
travelingman79 says:
11:41 AM, 05/12/10
So just as GM and Ford have had an awakening to the fact that us North Americans would prefer to buy the same cars they sell in Europe (or with very minor modifications) rather than their current uninspiring NA-specific models (e.g., Ford Focus), VW is moving in the opposite direction by not only keeping some European models from us (Polo GTI, perhaps now the next-gen Passat), but giving us our own NA-specific model which won't be sold in Europe? I wonder if the "NMS" will follow the mold of the domestic NA-specific models and come with a soft suspension and numb driving dynamics as well. Sorry, VAG, I don't like the sound of that.
zim65 says:
12:16 PM, 05/12/10
This is the Passat, not NMS. The 2012 Passat will get a Golf VI-style update, where the greenhouse and wheelbase of the old car are retained. This is evident here. The NMS should look markedly different than Passat, and will likely be both longer and wider.
chemeng says:
12:45 PM, 05/12/10
Looks a lot like an A4.
seppoboy says:
07:12 AM, 05/13/10
zim65 has nailed it, and the interior is the other tip-off. This is Passat
teach10 says:
09:34 AM, 05/13/10
Altima?
jm1212 says:
11:37 AM, 08/ 3/10
im pretty sure that the NMS will still be called the Passat, but chances are it will be cheapened and bloated along the lines of the Jetta. that said, the benchmarks for quality in the family sedan segment do not allow for the cabin to be cheapened as much. i would expect Accord or Malibu levels of interior quality; good, but not as good as the past. some little features, such as the adjustable armrest, may remain since some cars in the segment have one, but expect other features such as the two little sliding compartments, driver-side glove box, lane-change blinker, interior velvet-like flocking of bins, etc. to be gone.
i can say though, if VW were to make their vehicles more customizable, they would not need to cheapen their vehicles at all. there are a bunch of things that they could make options on all of their vehicles that would make them more price competitive. the Passat is probably the best example. features such as a sunroof, leather/leatherette seats, push-fob ignition, touchscreen for the radio, 12-way power driver and 8-way manual passenger seat, heated seats, electronic parking brake, umbrella/umbrella storage, side mirror defrosters, and heated washer nozzles are all things that could be made options and would greatly lower the base price, all without tampering with the build quality of the rest of the vehicle (i.e. soft-touch dash stays)
a 2010 Passat starts around $27,000...if we took out the standard sunroof, that knocks off at least $1000. replacing leather with cloth saves another $2000 (we're down to $24,000 now), replacing the touchscreen display for the radio with the old unit that was great to begin with saves at least $500, replacing the 12-way power seat with an 8-way manual adjustment and lowering the 8-way manual passenger to 4-way saves another $500, minus heated seats, side mirrors and washer nozzles saves another $600, going from a power to manual parking brake should save $250 or so, and ditching those super expensive fobs for the old switchblade keys saves around $150.
Look here VW, you could have a base model Passat that costs $22,000 (oh wait, you had one of those in 2006)! and that's without removing any of the 'little features' such as the rich dash-top, the audio system, the electronic trunk and fuel release, flocking for all of the bins, the two sliding bins in the console, the diver's glove box, the signal mirrors, multifunction steering wheel, auxiliary jack, leather-wrapped steering wheel, or the brushed aluminum trim and fit and finish that we know and love. dont forget, alloy wheels are there as well. going back to steel wheels with covers like Nissan, Honda, Toyota do will save at least another $1200. Using wheels like Chevy does on the Malibu won't save as much, but they look better. so you could possibly have a vehicle that costs $20,800-$21,000. that is a very competitive base price for a family sedan, especially with all of the extra features that the Passat would still contain that they others around that price point wouldnt have. $21,000 with an automatic is less than Camry, Malibu, and Accord with automatic transmissions (offer a manual and you could have a base price of less than $20K like them too!).
take all of those features out and have them as standalone options, and you will have a super competitive sedan in the market, especially considering the interior quality will be much greater (in current forms) than the Camry, Sonata, Malibu, and Accord. driving dynamics, ties Accord and Altima but is better than Camry and Malibu. The ride quality is better than Accord and Altima, but ties Camry and Malibu. acceleration outperforms all other four-cylinders except perhaps the Sonata, which has comparable weight and power. the only thing to worry about is fuel economy, but after an update to the new unit like the one found in the GTI, Passat will be able to best the Malibu, Accord, and Mazda6, and possibly even match the Camry and Sonata.
see, no reason to cheapen. just give us more options. same goes with the Jetta. there was absolutely no reason to cheapen it like you did, VW.