Volkswagen Passat 2012 grows for U.S. market

Due for public debut at the current 2011 Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen has officially announced that their “New Midsize Sedan” project will still be known as the Passat in North America. That means there are now two variations of the Passat, one a facelifted version of the old one in Europe, and the other is this up-sized one. Word is this larger one will come to the GCC.

Two petrol engines will be available, namely a 170 hp 2.5-litre 5-cylinder with 240 Nm of torque with a choice of a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic, as well as a 280 hp 3.6-litre V6 with 349 Nm and a 6-speed DSG automanual.

VW considers it brag-worthy to mention that this larger American-built 2012 Passat will cost the equivalent of Dhs 25,000 less than the recently-launched 2011 European version. While our local media will no doubt applaud this “amazing” achievement and give it a “car of the year” award soon, we’ll let you figure out where the costs were cut on this “stunning” piece of “German” engineering.

The new U.S. Passat should reach showrooms in Saudi Arabia, UAE and other GCC countries by the end of 2011.

Keep track of updates in the Volkswagen Passat buyer guide.