It will be made in America for America.
In September 2013, Volkswagen updated the North American Passat. The German company did a great job. However, Passat sales decreased by 22.2 percent in the United States for the first six months of 2016 compared to 2015. According to Good Car Bad Car, 32,813 units were delivered between January and June. This is compared to 42,195 units last.
Although it addressed many of the shortcomings of its predecessor, the updated Passat failed to impress our Editor-in-Chief John Neff on a test drive this summer. He found that the most expensive Passat is a strong argument for purchasing a cheaper one.
The model was due to be updated in 2018, but new reports indicate that the successor to the current Passat will be available at the same time as the European model. It is the long-awaited MQB platform switch, which will replace the aging PQ46 architecture.
VW Vortex quotes a “source with knowledge of plan”, saying that the European and American models will not be the same.
It is not surprising that the MQB has seen a lot of migration. The U.S. has a new model. The new U.S. Passat will be manufactured at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga facility in Tennessee. There, the forthcoming Teramont seven seat SUV, also based on MQB, will also be built.
We are unable to provide any further information about the North American Passat next generation, but we can expect new engines to be added to the lineup.