There is a silver lining: the wagon can live with the Arteon.
Volkswagen has put the final nail in the coffin for the Passat sedan. According to Autocar, the German marque has stopped producing the four-door sedan in Europe. This decision was made due to the strong sales of the Passat estate as well as the arrival of the Arteon, which is similarly positioned.
Since 2020, news of VW destroying the Passat sedan has been circulated in Europe. The automaker is expected to end production in 2023. However, it appears that they have a timeline. VW also announced that the Passat will be ending production in the USA with the 2022 Passat limited edition.
In 2023, the current B8-generation Passat will be undergoing a major overhaul. An updated MQB platform will be used to build the ninth-generation model. This latest development means that the ninth generation will only be available in the Old Continent as a long-roof version.
It is worth noting that the VW Passat can be purchased as a sedan or a wagon since the original Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed model was introduced in the 1970s.
We have checked several websites of VW Europe customers and can confirm that the Passat saloon has not been offered.
It is believed that the Passat’s death will pave the way for the new VW Aero B. The all-electric sedan is currently in development. It draws design inspiration from the IDSpace Vizzion concept. The concept was a wagon-based vehicle, so the Aero B is expected to be a sedan and wagon.
According to some reports, the model’s tentative title is Aero B. VW could alter it to conform to the ID naming convention of EVs. However, a debut in late 2023 or early 2023 is possible.