The Volkswagen Passat is a nameplate of large family cars (D-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

since 1973 and also marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar and Carat — in saloon, estate, and

hatchback A hatchback is a car body style, car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to the main interior of the car as a cargo area rather than just to a separated trunk. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row sea ...

body styles. A "four-door

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...

" variant of the Passat with a lower roof was released in the North American market in 2008 as the Passat CC, which was then renamed to Volkswagen CC. The CC was succeeded by the Arteon in 2017. In January 2011, Volkswagen introduced a separate Passat model line, internally designated "Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan" or NMS, that was manufactured in the US at the Chattanooga assembly plant and in China at

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

by SAIC-Volkswagen. Developed to increase Volkswagen sales in North America, the Passat NMS is larger and costs less to produce, and is sold in the North America, South Korea, China, and Middle East. The separate B8 Passat model entered production in Europe in 2014, based on the MQB platform. In 2019, the Passat NMS program was split into two as the North American one continued being produced on an older platform while the Chinese Passat moved on to the MQB platform, which resulted in Volkswagen marketed three models under the Passat nameplate globally at that time. The North American Passat was discontinued after the 2022 model year. Volkswagen ended the production of the saloon Passat for the European market in 2022. The B9 Passat, released in 2023, is only available in an estate body style. The Passat continues to be available as a saloon in China. The "Passat" is one of several Volkswagen models named after a wind: "Passat" is the usual German word for "

Trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere ...

B1 (''Typ'' 32; 1973)

The first generation Passat launched in 1973 in two- and four-door sedan and three- and five-door versions. Externally all four shared styling by

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. He w ...

. The first generation Passat was a fastback variant of the mechanically identical

Audi 80 The Audi 80 is a compact executive car produced by the Audi subdivision of the Volkswagen Group across four generations from 1966 to 1996. It shared its platform with the Volkswagen Passat from 1973 to 1986 and was available as a Saloon (autom ...

sedan, introduced a year earlier. A five-door

station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...

was introduced in 1974, which in North American markets was sold as an Audi Fox. In Europe, the Passat was equipped with two rectangular, two round 7-inch, or four round 5.5-inch

headlights A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

depending on specification. The Passat was one of the most modern European family cars at the time, and was intended as a replacement for the ageing Volkswagen Type 3 and Type 4. The only other European cars of its size to feature front-wheel drive and a hatchback were the Renault 16 and

Austin Maxi The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin Motor Company, Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. Despite its practical design and remarkable space efficiency (it is shorter, narrow ...

. The Passat originally featured the

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

OHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustio ...

1.3-litre () and 1.5-litre (/) petrol engines also used in the Audi 80— longitudinally mounted with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...

, in Audi tradition, with either a four-speed

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...

or three-speed

automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...

. It had a

MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles. The name comes from American automotive engineer ...

front suspension with a

solid axle Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...

coil spring A tension coil spring A coil spring is a mechanical device that typically is used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces. It is made of an elastic material formed into the ...

setup at the rear. The

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

1.5-litre was enlarged to 1.6-litre in August 1975 with unchanged power ratings and slightly higher torque ratings. In July 1978, the Passat Diesel became available, equipped with the VW Golf's 1.5-litre diesel (), followed in February 1979 by the Passat GLI with a fuel-injected version of the 1.6-litre engine. The range received a facelift in 1977 (launched 1978 outside Europe) with revised interior and revised exterior with repositioned indicators and depending on model, either four round or two rectangular headlights. In North America, the car was marketed as the Volkswagen Dasher. The three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and a station wagon model launched in North America for and during the 1974

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated as MY) is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

. Sole available engine was a carburetted 1.5-litre inline-four developing (or in 1975), supplanted from model year 1976 by a Bosch fuel-injected 1.6-litre four . North American cars were equipped with single DOT standard headlights. In 1978, the Dasher received a facelift along the lines of the European Passat, with quad sealed beam headlights and big polyurethane covered bumpers. The trim was also upgraded and the ride softened. 1979 saw the introduction of the 1.5-litre

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

, which produced just in the car. 0–100 km/h time for the Diesel was 19.4 seconds, 6.2 seconds slower than the petrol (petrol) engine. All petrol engines were dropped for North America in 1981, in preparation for the next generation. In Brazil, the Passat B1 was produced from June 1974 until 1988. Since the Audi 80 was not marketed in Brazil, the Passat received the Audi's different front-end treatment after a facelift for 1979. Originally with a 1.5-litre engine, during its long life cycle many improvements from the B2 platform were later introduced, like its 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines, a Brazil-specific face-lift in 1985, and a five-speed gearbox. A sports version, named Passat TS 1.6 and later Passat GTS 1.8 Pointer was also introduced.

B2 (''Typ'' 32B; 1981)

The second generation Passat launched in November 1980. The platform, named B2, was once again based on the corresponding version of the Audi 80, which had been launched in 1978. The B2 Passat was slightly longer. In addition to the Passat hatchbacks and Variants (estate/wagon), there was also a conventional

three-box The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillars, designated from fr ...

saloon, which until the 1985 facelift was sold as the

Volkswagen Santana The Volkswagen Santana is a nameplate used by Volkswagen for various Sedan (automobile), sedans and station wagons since 1983. The first generation is based on the second-generation Volkswagen Passat (B2). It was introduced in 1981 while productio ...

in Europe. In the United States, the Passat/Santana was sold as the Volkswagen Quantum, available in three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and a wagon model, but the five-door hatchback was never sold there and the three-door hatchback was dropped after less than two years. The four-wheel drive Syncro wagon version was introduced in October 1984, initially only with the more powerful five-cylinder engine. The Passat/Santana was also produced and commercialized in China, Mexico, South America and South Africa, too. In Mexico, it was marketed from 1984 to 1988 as VW Corsar and Corsar Variant (the 4-door saloon and 5-door wagon, respectively). In Argentina, from 1987 to 1991 as the VW Carat. In Brazil, the wagon model was badged VW Quantum. The Passat saloon and estate were produced in South Africa for the local market until 1987. Like the previous generation, the B2 Passat was mainly sold with four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Unlike its predecessor, the top-of the line versions received five-cylinder Audi or VW engines of 1.9–2.2 litres. In addition to four- and five-speed manuals and three-speed automatic gearboxes, the Passat/Santana was also available with the 4+E transmission. This, also called the "Formel E" had a particularly long top gear, which combined with a freewheeling mechanism, provided better gas mileage. An automatic stop/start was also available in some markets. The four-wheel-drive system used in the Passat Variant Syncro shared the mechanics of the

and not the

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/ small family car ( C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplate ...

Syncro. The Syncro's bottom plate was almost entirely different, requiring a transmission tunnel, a relocated gas tank and no spare tire well (to make room for the complex rear axle assembly). Only the more popular estate was reengineered. In 1985, the range received a slight facelift, consisting of new, larger bumpers, interior retouches, a new front grille and new taillights on the hatchback versions. The three-door hatchback was discontinued, while the Santana nameplate was dropped in Europe. The saloon's front end was now the same as the

and estate. On 31 March 1988, production ended (although Syncro models continued in production until June) with 3,345,248 built in Germany. World production totaled approximately 4.5 million units.

B3 and B4 (''Typ'' 35i; 1988)

The third generation Passat was introduced in March 1988 in Europe, 1990 in North America, and 1995 in South America. The lack of a grille made the car's front end styling reminiscent of older, rear-engined Volkswagens, such as the 411, and also doubled as a modern styling trend. The styling was developed from the 1981 aerodynamic (cd 0.25) Auto 2000 concept car. At the time, it was the first

transverse engine A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this arrangement. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles use a longitudinal ...

layout Passat to be built on a Volkswagen-designed platform, rather than sharing one with an Audi saloon. The car, although designated B3 in Volkswagen's platform nomenclature, was based largely on the A platform as used for the smaller Golf model, but was stretched in all directions, and therefore had no connection with the B3 series Audi 80, launched two years earlier. Many components are shared directly between these vehicles. This generation of Passat was sold as a four-door saloon or a five-door estate, with the Passat not being sold as a hatchback from this point onwards. It was marketed under the Passat name in all markets; in North America, this was a first. The fuel-injected

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends ...

s gave better performance and refinement than the

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Vent ...

units previously used. They were mounted transversely, and the floorpan was engineered to accept Volkswagen's ' Syncro'

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

system. Engine options were the 2.0-litre 16-valve engine in the GL model, 1.8-litre engine in the CL model (not available in North America, all CLs, GLs, and GLSs had the 2.0 16v), The 1.8 8v 112 bhp PB engine from the Golf GTi was also used in the Passat GT model. Volkswagen's new 2.8-litre

VR6 engine The VR6 engine is a six-cylinder engine configuration developed by Volkswagen. The name VR6 comes from the combination of German words "Verkürzt" and "Reihenmotor" meaning "shortened inline engine" referring to the VR-engine having characteristi ...

(also used in the Golf and Corrado) in the GLX/GLS model (introduced in 1991 in Europe and 1992 in North America), and the G60 engine (only available on the Syncro model in Canada for the North American market). The VR6 engine gave the top-of-the-range Passat a top speed of . The 1.9-litre and the 1.6-litre

were also available as options.

1993 facelift (Passat B4)

1995 Volkswagen Passat Variant CL TD Umwelt 1

The B3 Passat was heavily facelifted in 1993, and despite being designated B4, it was not an all-new model. The facelift revised external body panels except for the roof and glasshouse, with most obvious exterior change seeing the reintroduction of a grille to match the style of the other same-generation Volkswagen models of the era, such as the Mk3 Golf and Jetta. The interior was mildly updated and included safety equipment, such as dual front

airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. ...

s and seat belt pretensioners, although the basic dashboard design remained unchanged. The grille was introduced to give the front end a more aggressive appearance, as the previous model looked too 'passive'. The car was available with a

Turbocharged Direct Injection TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) is Volkswagen Group's term for its current common rail Fuel injection#Direct injection systems, direct injection turbodiesel engine range that have an intercooler in addition to the turbo compressor. TDI engi ...

(TDI)

– an inline four-cylinder 1.9-litre

turbodiesel The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...

, generating at 3,750 rpm and of

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

at 1,900 rpm. It carried a US EPA

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...

rating for the sedan of highway. Combined with a reserve option fuel tank, the B4 TDI wagon had an 1800+ km (1200+ mi) range on a single tank of fuel. The B4 TDI wagon saw less than 1,000 sales in the US during its 1996 to 1997 lifespan.

B5 (''Typ'' 3B, 1996) and B5.5 (3BG; 2001)

An all-new Passat, based on the Volkswagen Group B5 platform, was first launched in Germany in 1996 and later on in February 1997 in Continental Europe and the United Kingdom, and 1998 in North America as well as Australia. Its PL45 platform was shared with the first-generation "Typ 8D"

Audi A4 The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platfor ...

, which was unveiled two years earlier, and saw a return to the Passat sharing its longitudinal engine layout platform with Audi's equivalent model for the first time since the second-generation (B2) Passat of 1981, which shared its platform with the second-generation "Typ 81"

Audi 90 90 may refer to: * 90 (number) * one of the years 90 BC, AD 90, 1990, 2090, etc. * The international calling code for Turkey * ''90'' (album), an album by the electronic music group 808 State * ''90'' (EP), an album by the band South Club * At ...

(the A4 is the successor to the Audi 80 line). The Passat introduced a new design language, first seen on the Concept 1 concept car, for the latest generation of Volkswagens, such as the Mk4 Golf, Bora and Polo Mk4. Aerodynamic work gave the B5 Passat a coefficient of drag of 0.27 (saloon model). The car featured a fully independent four-link front suspension; and a semi-independent torsion beam for front-wheel-drive models or a fully independent suspension on the

4motion 4motion is a registered trademark of Volkswagen AG, used exclusively on Volkswagen-branded automobiles with four-wheel drive (4WD) systems. Volkswagen has previously used the term "Syncro" for its 4WD models, such as in Volkswagen T3. Of the Vo ...

4WD models. 4WD was introduced in 1997 as an option for the 1.8-litre, 2.8-litre V6, 1.9-litre TDI, 2.0-litre TDI and 2.5-litre V6 TDI engines, using a second-generation

Torsen Torsen Torque-Sensing (full name Torsen traction) is a type of limited-slip differential used in automobiles. It was invented by American Vernon Gleasman and manufactured by the Gleason Corporation. Torsen is a portmanteau of Torque-Sensing. '' ...

T-2 based 4WD system to minimise loss of traction. The 1.8-litre

in the Passat and Audi A4 has a lower

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

capacity than transverse applications of the same engine ( in transverse, longitudinal), and may suffer from

oil sludge Oil sludge or black sludge is a gel-like or semi-solid deposit inside an internal combustion engine, that can create a catastrophic buildup. It is often the result of contaminated engine oil Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is an ...

problems as a result, if not changed at regular intervals with fully

synthetic oil Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for petroleum-refined oils when operating in extreme temperature, in metal stamping to provide en ...

s. Four transmission options were available: a 5-speed manual transmission, a 6-speed manual transmission (codename 01E), a 4-speed automatic transmission and a 5-speed automatic transmission with tiptronic. The 1.6-litre petrol engine had been dropped by 1999, leaving the 1.8-litre 20-valve as the entry-level engine.

2001 facelift (Passat B5.5 – ''Typ'' 3BG)

The B5.5 Passat began production in late 2000, with styling and mechanical revisions, including revised projector-optic headlights, bumpers, tail lights, and chrome trim. A 4.0-litre W8 engine producing was introduced in 2001 in a luxury version of the car that included standard

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

. This engine was intended to be a test bed for Volkswagen Group's new

W engine A W engine is a type of piston engine where three or four cylinder banks share the same crankshaft, resembling the letter "W" when viewed from the front. W engines with three banks of cylinders are also called "broad arrow" engines, due to thei ...

technology, which would later make an appearance on the W12 in the Phaeton,

Audi A8 The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury vehicle, luxury sedan (car), sedan manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi since 1994. Succeeding the Audi V8, and now in its fourth generation, the A8 has been offered with either front-wheel dri ...

, and

Bentley Continental GT The Bentley Continental GT is a grand touring car manufactured and marketed by the British company Bentley Motors since 2003. A two-door coupé or convertible, and has four seats, it was the first new Bentley released after the company's acqui ...

, and the W16 engine in the

Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti, and manufactured in Molsheim, France by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pi ...

. The engine was discontinued in 2004.

B6 (''Typ'' 3C; 2005) and B7 (2010)

The B6 debuted at the

Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show was hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon was organised b ...

in March 2005, and launched in Europe in the summer of 2005 for the 2006 model year. Unlike its predecessor, the B6 Passat no longer shared its platform with Audi's equivalent model (the

). Based on a modified version of the Mk5 Golf's PQ35 platform (PQ46), the B6 featured a transverse rather than longitudinal engine layout of its predecessor, like the previous B3 and B4 generations, which were related to the A2 (Golf) platform. The PQ46 platform provided increased torsional rigidity. At the

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...

in September 2007, Volkswagen launched the 'R Line' R36, created by Volkswagen Individual GmbH, which is uses a 3.6

litre The litre ( Commonwealth spelling) or liter ( American spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metres (m3). A ...

rated and of torque. File:2007 Volkswagen Passat S TDi 105 1.9 Front.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B6 Sedan (front) File:2007 Volkswagen Passat S TDi 105 1.9 Rear.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B6 Sedan (rear) File:2007 Volkswagen Passat (3C MY07) V6 FSI 4MOTION station wagon (2015-07-09) 01.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B6 Variant (front) File:2007 Volkswagen Passat (3C MY07) V6 FSI 4MOTION station wagon (2015-07-09) 02.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B6 Variant (rear)

Passat CC

The CC ("Comfort Coupé") is a 4-door

version of the Passat. It debuted at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Originally aimed at competing with the similarly styled Mercedes CLS, the Passat CC intends to be more stylish and luxurious than the previously released Passat B6. In the US, the name Passat was dropped, and the car was being sold as just CC.

facelifted the Passat CC in late 2011 for the 2012 year, with styling updates akin to those of the larger Phaeton. For the updated model,

has dropped the Passat name for all markets, now matching the Volkswagen CC branding used since 2008 in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. File:2013 Volkswagen CC (3CC MY13.5) 130TDI sedan (2015-11-11) 01.jpg, Volkswagen CC (front) File:2013 Volkswagen CC (3CC MY13.5) 130TDI sedan (2015-11-11) 02.jpg, Volkswagen CC (rear)

2010 facelift (Passat B7)

The B6 Passat was facelifted by Klaus Bischoff and Walter de Silva and was unveiled at the

Paris Motor Show The Paris Motor Show () is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently takes place in Paris expo Porte de V ...

in September 2010. Although designated "B7" by VW enthusiasts, the car is not an all-new model. The facelift resulted in new external body panels except for the roof and glasshouse, with the prominent changes to the grille and headlights, and minor changes to the interior. Overall height and width dimensions are unchanged from the B6 Passat, while length was increased by 4 mm. File:VW Passat B7 1.4 TSI BMT Trendline Islandgrau.JPG, Facelifted Volkswagen Passat B7 Sedan (front) File:VW Passat B7 1.4 TSI BMT Trendline Islandgrau Heck.JPG, Facelifted Volkswagen Passat B7 Sedan (rear) File:2014 Volkswagen Passat (3C MY15) 118TSI station wagon (2015-08-07) 01.jpg, Facelifted Volkswagen Passat B7 Variant (front) File:2014 Volkswagen Passat (3C MY15) 118TSI station wagon (2015-08-07) 02.jpg, Facelifted Volkswagen Passat B7 Variant (rear)

Passat Alltrack

In October 2010, Volkswagen presented at the 2011

Tokyo Motor Show The , called (TMS) until 2023, is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recog ...

the Passat Alltrack. The Passat Alltrack bridges the gap between the passenger VW range and the SUV range comprising the Tiguan and Touareg. The Passat Alltrack was aimed at competing with

Subaru Outback The Subaru Outback is an automotive nameplate used by the Japanese automaker Subaru for two different themed vehicles: a Legacy-derived station wagon, the Outback (1994–present, also sold as in some markets), and an Impreza-derived off-road ...

, which created a new market niche, both the Alltrack and Outback both bear resemblance in ride height and external body kit. File:2013 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack TDi BMT 4MOTION 2.0 Front.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B7 Alltrack (front) File:2013 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack TDi BMT 4MOTION 2.0 Rear.jpg, Volkswagen Passat B7 Alltrack (rear)

B8 (''Typ'' 3G; 2015)

2017 Volkswagen Passat SE Business TDi BM 2

The eighth generation model of the Passat was unveiled on 3 July 2014, with sales commenced in November 2014 in Continental Europe and in January 2015 in the United Kingdom as a four-door saloon and estate. Following other Volkswagen Group passenger vehicles such as the

Volkswagen Golf Mk7 The Volkswagen Golf (Mk7) is a C-segment car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. It is the seventh generation in the Volkswagen Golf, Golf series and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk6, Golf Mk6, and was introduced ...

, it is based on a MQB platform, a modular automobile construction platform designed for transverse, front-engined cars. The Passat B8 continued to be sold in China under the name Magotan; this version has an 80 mm longer wheelbase.

B9 (''Typ'' 3J; 2023)

The ninth-generation Passat is available strictly as an estate (Variant) except for China, where it is also available as a saloon. It was unveiled on 31 August 2023 and made its official debut at the 2023 Munich Motor Show, it is based on the revised version of the MQB Evo platform and is assembled in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

instead of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

alongside the

Škoda Superb The Škoda Superb is a Mid-size car, mid-size/large family car (D-segment) that has been produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since 2001. The first generation of the modern Superb, produced from 2001 to 2008, was based on the Volk ...

that it is based on. The Magotan saloon from the FAW-Volkswagen Chinese joint venture was unveiled on 25 April 2024 at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, being based on the same MQB Evo platform as the B9 Passat Variant sold globally. The Passat Pro saloon from the

SAIC Volkswagen SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., formerly known as Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Anting, Shanghai, China and a joint venture between SAIC Motor and Volkswagen Group. It wa ...

Chinese joint venture is also based on the same MQB Evo platform as the B9 Passat Variant and was released in September 2024. Compared to the Magotan, the Passat Pro features a different front fascia that is borrowed from the Passat Variant and is shorter in length. File:Volkswagen Passat Variant B9 IAA 2023 1X7A0654.jpg, Volkswagen Passat Variant (B9) File:VOLKSWAGEN MAGOTAN B9 China.jpg, Volkswagen Magotan (B9) File:VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT PRO (VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT B9) China.jpg, Volkswagen Passat Pro (B9)

Other versions

Passat Lingyu (China, 2005–2011)

The Passat Lingyu is a restyled version of the first generation

for the Chinese market. Manufactured by

, the Passat Lingyu was introduced in 2005, succeeding the Passat B5. The car was designed by Istanbul-born car designer Murat Günak. In 2009, a facelifted version was introduced as the Passat New Lingyu (Xinlingyu). Production lasted until 2011 and replaced by the Passat NMS. Volkswagen built 20 examples of a fuel-cell Passat Lingyu in mid-2008 to be presented at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Passat NMS (North America and China, 2011–present)

The Passat branched into two models starting from 2011: one marketed in Europe, right-hand drive markets, and in China as the Magotan, and the other known as the Passat NMS that is manufactured for the North American and Chinese market. The NMS is more downscale compared to the European Passat to achieve a lower price point and penetrate the mainstream mid-size sedan market. The Passat NMS model was split again in 2019 as the Chinese version moved on to the MQB platform, while the North American model continued to use its same platform. 2012 Volkswagen Passat -- NHTSA 2

Known as the New Midsize Sedan (NMS) before its unveiling in January 2011, this model was designed for the North American market, replacing the B6 Passat sedan and wagon. At its introduction, the Passat NMS was part of

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines and turbomachinery. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxon ...

's strategy to sell over 800,000 vehicles per year in the North American market. The Passat NMS is marketed in the North America, South Korea, Middle East, and China, with no plans for a wagon/estate version. North American, Middle Eastern and South Korean models are manufactured at its Chattanooga Assembly Plant. In China, the new model is built by SAIC-Volkswagen in its Nanjing factory and is marketed as a more upscale model with some interior and exterior differences to the North American model, such as wood-trimmed steering wheel, rear air vents, and LED accented headlights. It was sold alongside models such as the long-wheelbase version of the European Passat known as the Magotan and a B5 Passat-based Passat Lingyu.

Facelift (North America, 2019)

A revised Passat for the North American market was released in 2019 as a 2020 model. The 2020 Volkswagen Passat NMS featured revised styling and added standard safety and technology features, which include a suite of standard driver assistance technologies and a 6.33-inch glass-covered

touchscreen A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...

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system with next-generation VW CarNet 4G

LTE LTE may refer to: Science and technology * LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a mobile telephony standard ** LTE Advanced, an enhancement ** LTE Advanced Pro, a further enhancement * Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers * Leukotrie ...

in-vehicle

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. The 2019 features a carryover 174-horsepower, 2.0-litre TSI I4 petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Following the 2022 model year, Volkswagen discontinued the Passat in North America due to slow sales.

Magotan (China, 2005–present)

In China, the European version Passat is sold as the VW Magotan from the B6 generation, produced by FAW-Volkswagen. The previous model, sold since 2024 is based on the B9 version of the European Passat.

Passat (China, 2011–present)

The Passat nameplate was first used in China in 2011, when

began selling the North-American Passat NMS. In October 2018, the Chinese market 2019 Passat was unveiled, using the same

Volkswagen Group MQB platform The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse engine, transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was fi ...

as the European Passat and VW Magotan, but is not directly based on them. As a result, despite the high physical resemblance between the Chinese and North American Passats (and both being called Passat NMS), they have now diverged and are no longer using the same platform. The Volkswagen Magotan (China) produced by FAW-VW and Volkswagen Passat NMS (China) produced by SAIC-VW are considered to be near-equivalents, using the same MQB platform and an identical wheelbase of 2871mm, but with slightly different dimensions and different styling. The latest generation based on the B9 version of the European Passat will be launched in 2024. Trim levels are known as the 280TSI, 330TSI and 380TSI. 280TSI models receive the 1.4-litre EA211 engine, while 330TSI and 380TSI models receive the 2.0-litre EA888 engine. All models are available with 7-speed DSG gearbox as standard.

Sales

References

External links

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