The Volkswagen Passat seems like a dead candidate to get a successor, but it was apparently not such a done deal. However, Volkswagen now seems to plan to continue with it.
Established names such as the Ford Mondeo, Renault Talisman and thus the Volkswagen Passat are at risk. Car manufacturers are almost entirely shifting the focus to crossovers, SUVs and hatchbacks. There seems to be less and less market for spacious station wagons and especially sedans (at least here in Europe), so it is not surprising that they have seriously questioned the future of the Passat at Volkswagen. According to the British Autocar However, the bullet is now through the church: the Passat will ‘just’ go against it for another generation. With ‘just’ emphatically in quotation marks, because there would have been no less than a year at the top of the German brand.
The next Passat is reportedly going to be an MQB derivative again, so that means the car is on a pretty similar basis as it is today. As of 2023, the next Passat must take over from the current one, which will then leave after eight years. The German middle class comes again as a station wagon, but don’t be surprised when the sedan version (at least here in Europe) is the end of the story. The ‘Passat-with-butt’ we get is likely to be a liftback or hatchback. Just what they call it, but one with a moving rear window anyway.
The plans are to build the next Passat in the same factory where the next Skoda Superb will roll off the production line. For the first time in its existence, the Passat will no longer roll out of the facility in Emden. A factory focused mainly on Skoda that has yet to be built will build it. Not surprising when you consider that the Passat is expected to have more in common with its Czech brother. So count on an even more space-based design, the ‘lifestyle content’ may indeed be reduced somewhat, because Volkswagen with the Arteon already has an alternative that is increasingly remote from the Passat. Especially now that it is also available as a shooting brake. Of course, partly electric powertrains and reportedly also a fully electric powertrain will be available.