Volkswagen Passat not being killed off

Media reports about the demise of the Volkswagen Passat have forced VW to defend its big-selling mid-size car.

According to reports in Germany’s Bild newspaper last week, Volkswagen would either shelve the Passat altogether or move its production to a lower volume plant in favour of electric-car production.

However, Volkswagen has fumed at the suggestion, just as it is about to show the facelifted version of the current Passat.

“We’ve had some disappointing news regarding the Passat, so we’d like to set that straight,” a spokesman said at a secret preview of the facelifted model in Hamburg last week.

“The press tells me the Passat will be discontinued due to changes in the automotive industry and Volkswagen is toying with turning Emden into an EV-only plant.

“Let me tell you right now, we are not going to discontinue the Passat.”

Although the VW Passat resides in the middle of one of the segments hardest hit by the continued rise of the compact and mid-size crossover and SUV segments, it continues to be a serious player for Volkswagen.

It comfortably headed home the EU36 markets for wagon sales, with 129,891 cars sold last year (with three per cent of growth in its final year before the facelift) and chipped in another 53,358 with the sedan.

“There is no crisis for the Passat. There’s just the WLTP [the new test and emissions procedure that many car-makers, including Volkswagen, found tough to certify its cars for],” its spokesman said.

“We’ve sold just under 30 million Passats. It’s the most important family car and compact executive car in the world.”

Volkswagen plans to show its 30 millionth Passat, planned to be a plug-in hybrid GTE, at March’s Geneva motor show.