The new Volkswagen Passat has been revealed in China, growing considerably in size and drawing plenty of styling inspiration from the Arteon fastback.
The vehicle you see in the images above is destined for the Chinese market, but also potentially previews the Passat set to be offered in other areas, such as North America, South Korea and parts of the Middle East.
Interestingly, it has switched from the VW Group’s so-called “B” platform to the MQB architecture already used by the current European-spec Passat (the model offered in South Africa). And that has allowed it to grow substantially.
Yes, the sedan now measures 4 933 mm long (an increase of 60 mm over its forebear), which makes it a full 160 mm longer than the Passat we know here in South Africa. It’s 1 836 mm wide and 1 469 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2 871 mm (that’s 80 mm more between the axles than the European model).
At launch, engine options for this China-spec model will be limited to a 2,0-litre TSI powerplant (offering either 137 kW or 162 kW, depending on derivative), with a plug-in hybrid variant also apparently on the cards.
A facelifted version of the European model, meanwhile, is expected to be revealed before the end of 2018. Just how closely its styling with be aligned to the Passat freshly revealed here, though, remains to be seen…
