The Volkswagen Passat for the North American and Chinese markets (internally designated ''Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan'', or ''NMS'' while under development
) is a
mid-size sedan
Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
that debuted in January 2011 at the
Detroit Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
. It replaced the
B6 Passat in the North American market. The Passat NMS was marketed in North America, the Middle East,
South Korea and China, with no wagon/estate version available. In China, it is sold alongside the long-wheelbase version of the European Passat known as the
Magotan.
At its introduction, the Passat NMS was part of
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
's strategy to sell over 800,000 vehicles per year in the North American market by 2018. While it is larger, the model is more downscale compared to the European-market Passat to achieve a lower price point in order to penetrate the mainstream mid-size sedan market in the North American market.
The second-generation Passat for North America and China diverged into two different models, both released in 2019. The North American Passat continued to use the same platform with the A32/A33 Passat NMS introduced in 2011, making it a reskinned version of its predecessor. The Chinese-market Passat launched in 2019 is built on a completely different platform, which is the
Volkswagen Group MQB
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was first introduced in t ...
, and has been lengthened in wheelbase and overall length compared to its predecessor.
__TOC__
First generation (A32/A33; 2011)
![Volkswagen Passat II China 20120315 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Volkswagen_Passat_II_China_20120315_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Volkswagen released a sketch of the Passat NMS in February 2009 and a more detailed, second sketch on 28 October 2009.
The Passat NMS reflects a design language developed by
Walter de Silva
Walter Maria de Silva (born 27 February 1951 in Lecco, Italy) is an Italian car designer and former head of Volkswagen Group Design, until 2015. Since beginning his car design career in 1972 as trainee car designer for Fiat's Style Centre. De Sil ...
, the Italian design chief for the Volkswagen Group, and Klaus Bischoff, the German design leader for the Volkswagen brand. The Passat NMS interior borrows design elements from the European Passat, e.g., the traditional clock.
The vehicle was developed by
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 Volkswagen Group and SAIC Motor. It was ...
and
Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and it sits on an extended version of the European car’s platform, which makes it longer, wider and therefore offers larger cabin space.
In the United States, it is produced in
Volkswagen Group of America's new
Chattanooga, Tennessee production facility using 80% US-sourced parts. The new facility is a "flex plant" which will allow for the production of vehicles based on the NMS and
MQB platforms.
The American version of the 2013 model year Volkswagen Passat made its way to Middle Eastern markets, namely
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
,
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
, by the summer of 2012. The five-seater sedan is available in four trim levels, all with a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission only.
In China, the new model is built by
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 Volkswagen Group and SAIC Motor. It was ...
at 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.
Facelift
Volkswagen refreshed the North American Passat in 2015 for the 2016 model year with styling and technology updates, including revised hood, front fenders, front and rear bumpers, and trunklid.
The Passat now offers optional LED headlights and taillights, a black-accented front bumper, a rear diffuser-like piece and 19-inch wheels.
The updated dashboard features the company's MIB II system (modular infotainment platform) with two sizes of touch screens available, depending on option package. These screens also will feature proximity sensors to pop up the relevant controls as the hand gets closer to the screen. The system is set to offer Volkswagen's Car-Net connectivity system, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink compatibility, which allows connection to a smartphone.
The revised Passat featured as standard equipment a rearview camera as well as automatic post-collision braking, which prevents the car from pinballing from an accident and crashing into other objects after an initial impact. Adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, a blind-spot monitor with rear traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and parking steering assist are all available depending on trim level.
File:Volkswagen Passat NMS I IMG 0423 (colour corrected).jpg, Facelift (North America)
File:2017 Volkswagen Passat SE 1.8L rear 3.24.19.jpg, Facelift (North America)
File:2018 Volkswagen Passat GT, Front Right, 09-17-2020.jpg, 2018 Passat GT (facelift)
File:2018 SAIC-Volkswagen Passat 02.jpg, Facelift (China)
Engines
North America
In Canada and the United States, the Passat NMS was initially released with a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine, 2.0-liter TDI engine and 3.6-liter VR6 engine. For the 2014 model year, a new 1.8-liter TSI 4-cylinder engine replaced the 2.5-liter inline-5 in North America. For the 2015 model year, a new 2.0-liter ''EA288'' TDI with increased power replaced the previous ''EA189'' 2.0-liter TDI in North America. Due to the
Volkswagen emissions scandal,
TDI models were permanently discontinued after the 2015
model year
The model year (sometimes abbreviated "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.
...
.
The 2016 Passat was planned to offer the same three engine choices featured in the outgoing car: the base-model 1.8-liter TSI turbocharged four-cylinder, the 3.6-liter VR6, and the 2.0-liter TDI diesel four-cylinder. The 1.8 T will do highway with the automatic transmission. Following the company's
emissions scandal, VW halted sales of 2.0-liter TDI-equipped vehicles. The 2.0-liter TSI was offered in place of the TDI.
For 2018, the previous 1.8-liter TSI 4-cylinder engine for base Passat models has been replaced by a 2.0-liter TSI 4-cylinder engine, sourced from the second-generation
Volkswagen Tiguan
The Volkswagen Tiguan () is a car produced by German manufacturer Volkswagen since 2007, sitting between the smaller T-Roc and the larger Touareg in the company's crossover SUV range. The first generation is based on the PQ46 platform, while ...
. Models with the 3.6 VR6 engine were discontinued after the 2018 model year.
China
In China, the NMS is offered with a base 1.4-liter TSI available with a 5-speed manual or 7-speed DSG. The 1.8-liter variant was available with the 6=speed automatic or 7-speed DSG gearbox and the 2.0-liter TSI and 3.0-liter VR6 come standard with 6- and 7-speed DSG gearboxes.
Reception
The Passat NMS won the 2012
Motor Trend Car of the Year
The ''Motor Trend'' Car of the Year (COTY) is an annual '' Car of the Year'' award given by ''Motor Trend'' magazine to recognize the best new or significantly refreshed car in a given model year.
Background
''Motor Trend'', which debuted in ...
. The 2013 Passat TDI sets new
Guinness World Record for fuel economy under the non-hybrid car category. It achieved a fuel consumption of only 3.02 liters on 100 kilometers (77.99 mpg).
In a March 2012 comparison test by ''Car and Driver'', the Volkswagen Passat NMS came in first place out of six cars. In a November 2012 comparison by the same magazine with three since-redesigned competitors, the Passat placed last.
In another 2012 comparison test by ''Motor Trend'', the Volkswagen Passat NMS came in first place out of six cars.
Recall
On November 23, 2020, Passats from 2016 to 2019 model years were recalled since the front seat back adjustment levers may not be engaged correctly, increasing risks of injuries.
Second generation
North America (2019)
![2020 Volkswagen Passat R-Line (NMS II), rear 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/2020_Volkswagen_Passat_R-Line_%28NMS_II%29%2C_rear_2.29.20.jpg)
For the 2020
model year
The model year (sometimes abbreviated "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.
...
, the Passat NMS received a major change, with revised exterior styling and wheel combinations, a suite of standard driver assistance technologies, and a 6.33-inch
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
infotainment system with next-generation VW CarNet
4G LTE in-vehicle
telematics
Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies (road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedia ...
.
Volkswagen decided not to design the second generation Passat NMS on the
Volkswagen Group MQB platform
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was first introduced in t ...
that underpins most Volkswagen products, meaning that the vehicle is essentially a reskinned version of the earlier model. The revised Passat NMS does not offer a fully digital
LCD instrument cluster or an 8-speed automatic transmission that are offered on other VW models. The second generation Passat NMS is exclusive to North America, as China gets its own version of Passat. The Passat had previously been discontinued in Mexico after the 2018 model year and this revised Passat is not sold in that market, with the Jetta taking its place.
The second generation is still powered by a , 2.0-liter TSI I4 gasoline engine and six-speed automatic transmission from the first generation, the new Passat is available in four trim levels: base S, midlevel SE, sporty R-Line, and range-topping SEL. Only the SEL offers full leather-trimmed seating surfaces, a
Fender premium audio system and Park Distance Control (PDC). The R-Line sports a unique front fascia, as well as larger alloy wheels and tires. The 2020 Passat went on sale at
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
dealerships nationwide in the fall of 2019.
In the Canadian market, the Passat is offered in three trim levels: Comfortline, Highline and Execline (available with the optional R-Line package).
Apart from the North American market, this version of the Passat is also available in the Middle East.
Discontinuation and Limited Edition
After initially planning to discontinue the Passat in 2023, Volkswagen ended Passat production in the United States after the 2022 model year due to slow sales and the rising popularity of crossovers and SUVs. The final build rolled off the Chattanooga production line in December 2021. To commemorate the end of the Passat nameplate and production in the United States (which the brand had continuously sold since 1973), Volkswagen offered a Passat Limited Edition with 1,973 produced in four different color combinations. The production figures for the Limited Edition Passat signify the following:
* 423 (Racing Green Metallic): The telephone
area code (423) for the
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
area, where the NMS Volkswagen Passat is produced.
* 411 (Kings Red Metallic): The chassis code (411) for the original first-generation Passat.
* 524 (Pure White Clear Coat): The date (May 24, 2011) that the assembly plant in Chattanooga began production of the Passat.
* 615 (Platinum Gray Metallic): The number of generations of Passat produced (6), the number of generations of Passat produced at the Chattanooga assembly plant (1), and the number of decades that the Volkswagen Passat has been sold in the United States (5).
China (2019)
![Volkswagen Passat NMS II IMG002 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Volkswagen_Passat_NMS_II_IMG002_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Revealed on October 12, 2018 by
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 Volkswagen Group and SAIC Motor. It was ...
, the Chinese market 2019 Passat replaces the Passat NMS in China. Despite the high resemblance between the Chinese and North American Passats, they are completely different models based on different platforms. The Chinese market 2019 Passat is built on the newer
Volkswagen Group MQB platform
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout (optional front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout) automobiles. It was first introduced in t ...
together with third generation
Magotan, which is a long-wheelbase version of the European B8 Passat. Trim levels are known as the 280 TSI, 330 TSI and 380 TSI. 280 TSI models receive the 1.4-liter ''EA211'' engine, while 330 TSI and 380 TSI models receive the 2.0-liter ''EA888'' engine. All models are available with 7-speed DSG gearbox as standard.
GTE
![Volkswagen Passat PHEV 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Volkswagen_Passat_PHEV_001.jpg)
The Passat PHEV GTE in China was launched in October 2018 and boasts an overall combined range of up to . In pure electric mode, it has a maximum range of up to and a top speed of .
2022 model year facelift
For the 2022 model year, the Passat built by Shanghai Volkswagen is giving the Passat a facelift in the Chinese market. The updated model gets a restyled chrome front grille with honeycomb-shaped chrome inserts, along with updated LED headlights and a cleaner front bumper design. As for the rear, the updated design features a full-width light bar.
File:Volkswagen Passat MQB China facelift IMG001.jpg, Chinese Volkswagen Passat 2022MY Noble Edition
File:Volkswagen Passat MQB China facelift IMG002.jpg, Chinese Volkswagen Passat 2022MY Noble Edition (rear)
File:Volkswagen Passat NMS II facelift IMG001.jpg, Chinese Volkswagen Passat 2022MY Starry Sky Elite Edition
File:Volkswagen Passat NMS II facelift IMG002.jpg, Chinese Volkswagen Passat 2022MY Starry Sky Elite Edition (rear)
Sales
References
External links
Official website(United States)
{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2019
Passat NMS
2010s cars
Cars introduced in 2011
Euro NCAP executive cars
Mid-size cars
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Sedans
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Cars powered by VR engines