The next generation Volkswagen Passat has been spied again ahead of the expected reveal this year.
Like the Passat prototype spied earlier, this white example is covered in cleverly placed camouflage pieces meant to make it look like an old model.
This camouflage is most noticeable on the headlights, upper and lower grilles, tail lights and lower rear bumper.
While the Chinese market Passat, launched in 2019, is offered as a sedan, the new global Passat will reportedly be a wagon only. The current global Passat sedan has already gone out of production.
It may be the last Passat to come with a combustion engine as well.
The high-riding Alltrack variant is expected to return, as is the plug in hybrid (PHEV) – and Volkswagen Australia says it’s looking to eventually bring an electric Passat here.
VW Australia passenger vehicle boss, Michal Szaniecki told Car Expert in August last year the plug-in Passat could join the PHEV eHybrid Golf GTE and Tiguan which are on track for a 2023 Australian launch. The plug-in hybrid Touareg R also joins the local range.
“We’re looking at the Passat segment for our plug-in hybrid expansion, that’s the right thing to do,” Mr. Szaniecki said, adding, “that would probably wear us down. [plug-in hybrid] reach, at least for the foreseeable future.”
Based on the latest MQB platform (dubbed MQB Evo), the new Passat is expected to offer a more electrified line-up of powertrains, including 48V mild hybrid petrol and diesel engines and the brand’s next-generation plug-in hybrid system.
The PHEV drivetrain will be based on VW’s latest 1.5 TSI evo2 turbocharged petrol engine, which was recently launched in the T-Roc crossover in the overseas market. The new engine has been designed to be compatible “with fuels containing materials produced from renewable energy sources”, as well as “various degrees of hybridisation”.
In a recent European media release, VW indicated a PHEV system with up to 200kW would be “possible”, while Cupra said its upcoming Terramar plug-in hybrid SUV – likely to be built on the same basis – would offer 100 kilometers of EV driving range.
The current Passat GTE plug-in hybrid has a total system output of 160kW and 400Nm and a claimed range of 59.5km under the WLTP cycle.
It now serves as the flagship Passat in markets like the UK that don’t get the more powerful petrol engine options that Australia gets.
The new Passat is being developed alongside the next-generation Skoda Superb and will be built alongside it in Slovakia, rather than Emden, Germany like every previous generation.
It is expected to grow in size and could match the Superb in dimensions.
The current Passat wagon measures 4777mm long, 1832mm wide and 1477mm tall (1506mm on the Alltrack) on a 2791mm wheelbase.
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The prototype that was spied earlier
The Alltrack shares the dimensions of the wagon except for its height of 1506mm. All models have 650L of boot space, expanding to 1780L with the rear seats folded.
By contrast, the current Skoda Superb wagon is 79mm longer and 32mm wider on a 50mm longer wheelbase, and has an extra 10L of boot space, or 170L with the rear seats dropped.
This spied Passat prototype has a lower bonnet and a more aggressive front bumper treatment than the current model, as well as a slightly different D-pillar.
While our spy photographers didn’t capture any images of the interior of this particular prototype, previous shots have shown Volkswagen moving to a large, prominent touchscreen and ID-like capacitive touch controls. electric vehicle (EV) range.
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Volkswagen ID.7
Just as the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 are electric alternatives to the Golf and Tiguan respectively, the company is working on another vehicle on the MEB architecture specifically to compete in the mid-size segment.
The Volkswagen ID.7 was recently teased at the CES tech show in Las Vegas and is the brand’s first ID-branded electric sedan.
Because it’s a sedan, it’s not a priority for Australia, where Volkswagen plans to sell the ID.3 hatch, ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs and the ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo Van by mid-2024.
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MORE: Everything Volkswagen Passat