The history of the Volkswagen Passat dates all the way back to 1973. In 1990, the family car came to the U.S. market, and in 2011, the company started releasing different cars under this name in Europe and the USA. Now, a senior manager of the company’s U.S. branch let it slip that the Passat badge might be retiring soon.
For now, the rumor only concerns the U.S.-spec Passat, which is depicted in our gallery here. In a recent interview, a company representative stated that the Passat had originally been designed for a much shorter production lifespan, and that its successor model would not be based on traditional combustion engines.
Overall, it looks like the company is considering replacing the Passat with an ID. vehicle. For one, it touted the ID. Vizzion Concept as the electric sedan of the future; could it really be coming as the replacement for the long-outdated Passat?
The last bit seems controversial, because the U.S.-spec VW Passat has just received a facelift and should sell fairly well over the next few years.