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Spy Shots: 2012 Volkswagen Passat

 
8 11,568 views Jun 7, 2010
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2012 Volkswagen Passat spy shots

HI-RES GALLERY: 2012 Volkswagen Passat spy shots

The new 2012 Volkswagen Passat is expected to up the stakes against Germany’s luxury automakers, with the car’s designers hoping it will be mentioned in the same breath as the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.

These are the latest spy shots of a prototype for the new sedan variant, revealing a longer and wider platform than the current car. Though the new Passat will be larger than the outgoing one, the use of lightweight materials in its construction should ensure a lighter kerb weight and improved mileage.

Under the hood, a replacement for the R36’s 3.6-liter engine will be in place, putting out close to 300 horsepower from a displacement of 3.0-liter. To improve mileage and maintain power, the new engine will also be using direct injection, while the rest of the powertrain lineup is expected to benefit from some form of forced induction as well. Other models will include a new hybrid as well as a high-performance diesel with all-wheel drive.

To give the Passat some much needed panache, Volkswagen will be pulling out all the stops to make the next-generation a technological showcase, with features that should have the traditional German luxury marques feeling a little worried.

Expected to debut in late 2011 as a 2012 model, the next-generation Passat is tipped to feature a host of new technologies, possibly including airless tires, a wiperless window cleaning system, and an advanced user interface. There may also be an electronic stability system with a feature that automatically offers counter-steering assistance in adverse driving conditions.

One year after the launch of the Passat sedan will be the station wagon, which you can see spy shots of by clicking here. This will be followed closely by a new high-performance model to replace the current R36.





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Comments (8)

  1. By  pj Posted: 5/12/2010 5:29am PDT

    airless tires, a wiperless window cleaning system, and an advanced user interface. NOW UR TLKIN. Wonder if they,ll put those across most of the vw range
     
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  2. fb_630621307 avatar Michael Descul Posted: 5/12/2010 7:10am PDT

    The next-generation appears and sounds promising, but, will this also be offered in the USDM, or is this for other markets, and in the USA, we'll get the NMS instead? Or, are the NMS and the new Passat one and the same?
     
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  3. By dougetx Posted: 5/12/2010 9:04am PDT

    The next-generation Passat is for Europe; the NMS (New Midsize Sedan) is being designed for the US only. The NMS will be less expensive than the current Passat in order to directly compete with Accord, Altima, Camry, Sonata, etc.
     
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  4. By Rick Posted: 5/12/2010 1:43pm PDT

    Wow, love the wheels! Thoswe tires look 8 1/2" wide at least! Hot! Love the new look and 2012 is when I'm done paying off my current car.
     
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  5. By NoNameDenton Posted: 5/12/2010 3:18pm PDT

    I still do not see how this will take on the 3 series and taking on the Audi A4 seems like a bad idea, since it would cannabalize sales from part of their own company
     
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  6. By rich Posted: 6/8/2010 9:11am PDT

    Why is VW always competing with itself? It already has an upscale division called Audi yet it keeps trying to make the VWs look just like Audis and almost as expensive. Dumb. Really dumb. It's been proven once already with the Phaeton that nobody is willing to pay super big bucks for a VW. Stick to mid=priced German cars that drive REALLY WELL.
     
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  7. By NoNameDenton Posted: 6/8/2010 5:53pm PDT

    Too be fair rich it was mainly Americans who did not get the Phaeton in great numbers
     
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  8. By David Turnedge Posted: 6/13/2010 4:56am PDT

    Speaking of the Phaeton, I saw my first one ever on the road... in Shanghai... looked like a big Passat... I wondered: Why not an S-Class, mate?
     
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