New Tennessee-built VW Passat won't get the "Westmoreland" treatment
While we were chatting with VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby in Wolfsburg, Germany, the subject of its new 'Merican-built car came up. The so-called NMS or New Midsize Sedan will replace the Passat in the US VW lineup. This model will be unique to the North American market, which brought up a question about the last "Americanized" VW.
For those not old enough to remember, Volkswagen opened a factory in Westmoreland county Pennsylvania in 1978 and closed it a decade later. When the plant started building the Rabbit (aka MK 1 Golf) VW's home office modified the Rabbit to make it "more appealing" to American buyers. That meant giving it rectangular headlights and making it softer and losing much of the German character that made it fun to drive.
Jacoby promises that won't happen this time around. Instead, the process of adaption will involve growing the sedan to bring it on par with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The current Passat is considered to be just a bit too small inside by comparison. What won't change is the tight suspension setup and styling consistent with other contemporary VWs.
The current Passat is also pricey compared to its primary segment competitors. This is one of the main reasons the new car will be built Stateside. VW is currently sourcing parts and systems from US located suppliers which should bring down the cost basis of the new model by taking exchange rates out of the equation.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
e 9:06AM (10/08/2009)
why doesn't VW offer a diesel in every model? this has always bothered me.
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TigerMil 9:11AM (10/08/2009)
D'Oh...because there is not a valid business model for diesels across the board in the North American market.
Vizel 9:50AM (10/08/2009)
It just kinda looks like Honda Accord raped the poor Hyundai Sonata, and this is the bastard child of it. =)
zamafir 10:53AM (10/08/2009)
@TigerMil - yup. If the people it bothered actually bought the jetta, jetta sport wagon, t'reg, and golf (two months) diesels currently on sale, vw would grant your wish for a. um. er... passat tdi?
TigerMil 9:10AM (10/08/2009)
What is it that VW doesn't understand about American drivers for the most part? No much! Yes, VW WILL modify the german character that makes the cars 'fun to drive' because most American driver's don't give a rat's @$$ about 'german character.' Autoblog readers, contributors, and associated gearheads may, but how many of them are going to be buying the NMS? The real competition is the Camry or Malibu or Altima....the NMS will be dumbed down and/or decontented to sell in the real American market. If VW doesn't, then the new GM will be successful at making money...which is what Alfred P. Sloan was really all about. Cars, not so much. Money, yeah.
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Kumar 9:17AM (10/08/2009)
So there will be no dumbing down of this model, as it will be built in custom just for the US Market?
Let me guess (following in the footsteps of Subaru)...wider seats, taller roofline, less options.
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zamafir 10:57AM (10/08/2009)
sure there will be, and yes just for the US. ignore scubie and look at toyota if you are having problems understanding the business case.
BoxerFanatic 11:34AM (10/08/2009)
EXACTLY RIGHT.
Legacy went from a ever so slightly snug, to FRIGGEN HUGE, to COPY Camry and Accord, rather than trying to offer a value-priced alternative to Audi A4, as they did in 2004/2005.
Now Passat is doing the SAME DAFT THING. Copying Camry and Accord, and getting bigger.
How 'bout NO!!
This country is tearing itself apart at the seams... people try to sell us on "green" and efficient, and responsible... yet others sell us increasingly LARGER and LARGER, with little other recourse.
Accord, Camry, Legacy, Mazda 6, Taurus, Passat, ALL GETTING BIGGER.
And the Corrolla, Impreza, Mazda 3, Fusion or Focus, and Jetta aren't the same thing, even if they are getting bigger as well... they tend to be less well equipped, and even less likely to be attractive than the bigger cars, which are also getting uglier.
What the hell is someone supposed to do, who is SATISFIED with the size of the previous cars?
-and who bought those products RESPONSIBLY in the past, because it wasn't bigger or more than what was needed or wanted at that time?
-Those of us who didn't just go out and buy CUVs or SUVs because they were popular?
-And those of us who aren't looking to buy a Hybrid to show off political correctness, and just want a competent, REAL car?
All of the decent Touring coupes are pretty much gone. Now all the sedans are getting bigger, bulkier, uglier, and heavier, and in some cases, LOSING OPTIONS. Manual transmissions in such cars are getting ever more scarce, as are non-FWD transverse drivelines... Legacy still has them, but greatly curtailed, harder to find, and probably won't last long, and Legacy is now one of the uglier cars in that market.
Is Passat going to surpass Legacy, and get bulkier and uglier YET?
the4thheat 12:58AM (10/09/2009)
Well BoxerFanatic I think the cars just have to get bigger because Americans get physically bigger each year =(
We're still #1 in obesity and we'll probably stay #1 until the Chinese catch up in the obesity epidemic game (they are putting on a surprisingly strong show of fatness lately)
Paul 9:30AM (10/08/2009)
Ironic that VW is stratifying its global offerings just as GM/Ford are unifying their Euro and US lineups.
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dukeisduke 9:32AM (10/08/2009)
Halle-frickin'-lujah! Yes, I remember the Westmoreland-built Rabbits, and they were an abomination. With their 5x7 rectangular sealed beams, different side markers and taillights, and the horrid monochromatic interiors. I still shudder when I think of a powder blue Rabbit with a powder blue interior. Or the tan (flesh-colored) ones. Gah!
And oh yeah, the AB posting engine still sucks.
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Michael 9:38AM (10/08/2009)
How is the current (B6) Passat small? Americans have become larger (fat) which makes them lean towards larger cars...
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Zerk 9:37AM (10/08/2009)
Soft suspension, wider seats, more supersized cupholders, increased weight, fewer individual option choices and more packaged options, the VW CamcCord will arrive soon.
Prove me wrong Jacoby, prove me wrong.
How will VW price this to compete? Will it be priced higher than the Golf? A base two door manual transmission Golf TDI starts at $22,889 which is already significantly higher than $20,145 price of a base Camry. That same Camry is priced at $18,535 at CarsDirect.
Will VW lower prices for the current Golf and Jetta? Or will VW price it's new Passat at Avalon and Maxima prices?
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Trace 9:57AM (10/08/2009)
Like this:
Base price of new sedan = $17,999
Base + floor mats = $23,999
Base + TDI + floor mats = slightly less than the cost of a new Space Shuttle
Rick 11:32AM (10/08/2009)
If they are competing with Camry and Accord AND building a factory HERE to compete with said models, I think it's a foregone conclusion it will compete in PRICE with the Accord and Camry. That's the whole point of the article. The exchange rate makes VWs cost more, they car building a bigger car here to lower it's price.
FSM 9:40AM (10/08/2009)
That Passat looks like a Camaro.
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Tourian A5 10:02AM (10/08/2009)
The monster has spoken.
It'd be interesting to compare the american and euro
Tourian A5 10:04AM (10/08/2009)
The monster has spoken.
It'll be interesting to compare the american and european Passats for next generation, it should be a really clear indication of how the european and american markets are different.
Rich 10:01AM (10/08/2009)
I've always thought the Jetta and Passat didn't differentiate sufficiently in size.
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Rich 10:01AM (10/08/2009)
Why have a commenting system if it just drops contributors' postings?
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