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Marton Pettendy13 Jun 2014
NEWS

New VW Passat teased again

Volkswagen continues its Mk8 Passat strip-tease a year out from launch
Volkswagen has published another teaser image of its eighth-generation Passat – this time a real car under a thin veil – ahead of its full online reveal early next month.
Due to be revealed at the Paris motor show in October, before its European launch later that month and its Australian release by mid-2015, the new Passat was first seen in official teaser sketches issued last month.
The latest image confirms the sleeker new profile previously revealed in an Automedia spy video, plus the presence of a prominent shoulder line and new headlights underlined by striking LED daytime running lights.
No new information about Volkswagen's global mid-sizer, which has found more than 22 million homes in the past 41 years, accompanies the latest teaser, however. 
As we've reported, the Mk8 Passat sedan and wagon will be lighter, safer, smarter and – thanks to weight savings of up to 85kg, nine new engines and the model's first plug-in hybrid powertrain – more efficient than before.
As the second-largest sedan in Volkswagen's passenger car stable (after the Phaeton), the new Passat will ride on the largest derivative yet of the Golf's MQB modular chassis architecture.
Adopting many of the Golf's electronic safety systems and then some, the redesigned cabin will gain a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster, head-up display, modular infotainment system with full Google Maps/Earth/Street View functionality, upgraded rear-seat entertainment system and a 360-degree camera.
Depending on the specification level, the new Active Info Display dash will be either standard or optional.
On the safety front, it will have City Emergency Braking from the facelifted Polo, a pedestrian monitoring system, autonomous emergency braking, a system to help park trailers and the Traffic Jam assist.
Weight savings of 40kg are said to have come from engines alone, including a range of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, while the new Passat body – the first to employ aluminium – is said to save 33kg.
Despite this, Volkswagen claims the body rigidity has risen 2000Nm/degree to 30,000Nm/degree.
Other weight savings include a new air-conditioning system and lighter steering and suspension systems.
Volkswagen's third plug-in hybrid production car after the XL1 and Golf GTE will be available from launch in Europe, but is unlikely to grace Australian showrooms.
The Passat GTE combines a 115kW direct-injection turbocharged petrol four with an 80kW electric motor, delivering a combined 155kW of total system power and 400Nm of torque.
Available both in sedan and wagon forms, it's expected to match the Golf GTE's efficiency (1.5L/100km and 135g/km of CO2) and will offer 50km of electric-only driving and a total range of more than 1000km.
The Passat hybrid stores its power in a liquid-cooled 9.9kWh lithium-ion battery and is charged via a plug-in socket next to the Volkswagen logo in the grille.
The mainstream Passat engine line-up will offer outputs of between 88kW and 206kW and include an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine based on the existing EA288 engine family but gaining an extra turbo and capable of 3.8 bar of boost pressure. 
Delivering 176kW of power and 500Nm of torque from just 1750rpm while consuming just over 5.0L/100km, it will come with a standard seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive.
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