The VW Passat is one of the icons of the Wolfsburg car manufacturer.
In the middle of the e-offensive, the group is pulling the reins.
The limousine variant is about to end.
VW
boss
Herbert Diess is
turning the group upside down towards e-mobility.
The model variant of the VW Passat is now threatening the
off
.
Now
brand fans are
talking
hot.
Update from December 9, 4:37 p.m.
-
VW
wants to
retire
the
Passat sedan
.
In the
USA, it
should end in 2023.
The notchback version is also being phased out in Europe.
The trend is towards SUVs, says
VW
brand boss
Ralf Brandstätter
.
The automaker also fears cannibalization by the
Skoda
Superb
.
VW: "Which car should you buy now?"
With brand fans, the decision is met with a mixed response.
"Nonsense," comments a user on Facebook.
“They all went crazy!
Who wants the 'electrical hazardous waste' ”, another.
“Which car from the
VW
group should you buy when you have two small children?” Asks another.
Other users, however, are not very surprised by the decision.
With "halfway sensible equipment and engines, many families could hardly afford a Passat".
Many users cut into the same notch.
In view of the prices, "you've been in better hands elsewhere for a long time," says another user.
In addition, there is hardly any demand for further production of the Passat sedan: “If you ask a
VW
dealer how many
Passat sedans they
sold last year (...).
In this respect it is not a big loss in Germany or Europe. "
The Wolfsburg-based company plans to retire this Volkswagen icon soon
First report from December 8th, 1.30 p.m. - The Wolfsburg-based car maker
Volkswagen
* has already created several automobile icons in its history.
In addition to the legendary
Beetle, it
includes the
Golf
, the
Bulli
- and the
Passat
.
But the question marks behind the once popular mid-range car are getting bigger and bigger.
The decision was made to take the Passat
off the market
in the
USA in
2023,
VW
brand boss
Ralf Brandstätter
recently
said
.
The demand is clearly in the direction of SUVs.
Therefore, the Passat production in the US plant in
Chattanooga
will be discontinued
in the
medium term.
With this step, the group wants to free up capacities for the
ID.4
and its big SUV brother
Atlas
in the medium term and invest 800 million euros in the corresponding factory conversion.
VW: The Passat sedan is a discontinued model
In Europe, too, Passat production is facing deep cuts.
The limousine will be completely canceled, reports the industry journal Automotive News, citing informed circles.
The popular Passat Variant should also be available in the future, they say.
With the realignment,
VW is
also
reacting
to the booming demand for SUVs in Europe.
In addition, the Wolfsburg apparently also want to take cross-brand pressure from the kettle.
Because the Skoda Superb is now considered a serious challenger to the Passat.
The management team around CEO
Herbert Diess
*
wants to
prevent the
threatening cannibalization of the two models
.
VW
is already building the eighth generation of the Passat (B8).
At the most recent facelift in May 2019, the group had given its mid-range model, among other things, new headlights and taillights and a new infotainment system.
But the registration numbers did not get going either.
Now the group is taking action against it.
VW Passat Variant will be built in Bratislava in the future
Observers expect that the Wolfsburg-based company will now develop the ninth generation of the Passat together with the Skoda Superb.
This is what the latest decision suggests.
According to the Group's new medium-term plan adopted at the end of November, the Passat will no longer roll off the production line in the
Emden
plant from 2023
, but in
Bratislava
.
Originally it was
Volkswagen
planned to have both models finished in a planned new plant in Turkey, but the project in the summer abandoned.
VW boss Diess had justified the decision at the time "because of Corona the capacity requirements were reassessed."
VW “currently does not need an additional plant,” it said.
Volkswagen is
already building SUVs such as the
VW
Touareg, the large Q models from
Audi
and the Porsche Cayenne
in the Slovak capital
.
Now the Passat Variant has been added.
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen Digital network.
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