2020 Volkswagen Passat teased ahead of Detroit debut

ABU DHABI: Ahead of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from 13 to 28 January, where the 2020 Volkswagen Passat is set for a debut, select US media were recently invited to see a teaser of the new car. Photography, as always in such events, was not permitted but the German automobile major did provide some sketches of the new car.

The sketches reveal a more stylish Passat, keeping in line with a largely similar smaller-sized Jetta. The front-end of the new Passat conforms to the latest corporate look of Volkswagen cars with headlights integrated into the broad grille. The rear of the car has two heavily contoured, sharp tail lights. The surfacing along the sides and the prominent creases add to the visual appeal of the car.

Speculations suggest that the 2020 Volkswagen Passat will be mounted on the PQ46 platform like the outgoing midsized sedan. It will be built at the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee. The PQ46, on its part, is based on the Passat B6/B7 European version.

The new Passat would retain the same turbocharged 2.0-litre TSI engine which hauls the current version. The motor produces 174 hp at 250 Nm torque. But unlike in other markets across the world, the engine will be mated to a six-speed conventional automatic transmission. Volkswagen has preferred to retain the powertrain and platform probably with an idea to save manufacturing costs since the midsized sedan market in the US has been continuously shrinking over the years.

Speaking to the media, Passat project manager in North America, Steven Warrick, claimed that customers have so far not complained about the driving dynamics in the current version of the car. The company never felt the need to change the platform. That aside, the rest of the 2020 Passat is pretty much new, he added.

Warrick indirectly meant that the car won’t be equipped with the latest Volkswagen technologies that include the digital active driving display cluster. Even the seating position and the seats would mostly remain unchanged.

But the 2020 Passat is likely to get a set of new safety features like blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, LED lighting, and front parking assist.