Volkswagen CrossPassat in the wings?

When Volkswagen launched its 2012 Passat, we were a little disappointed to hear that American buyers probably won't be able to dive into a wagon version and that the company's 4Motion all-wheel drive system wasn't slated for the option sheet either. Volkswagen's engineers said that the platform simply wasn't suited to putting power to all four wheels, despite the fact that the body tray clearly has a center tunnel to accommodate a driveshaft. Now Autobild is reporting that the German manufacturer may be considering the creation of a Passat-based crossover that would offer all of the storage and go-anywhere goodness of a Passat Wagon 4Motion.
According to a poorly translated report, the vehicle will boast a taller ride height and plenty of plastic body cladding to protect it from the slings and arrows of errant rocks and sticks. All-wheel drive will be an option as well, though there are no solid details on what to expect from the engine or transmission departments.

Do we like the idea of jacking up the Passat to make it fit into the crossover crowd? Some of us do, some of us don't. Either way, we're guessing that the vehicle would be little more than a spring-and-damper swap away from riding as low as its four-door counterpart. Still, all of that plastic body cladding doesn't seem to fit with the typically clean design language, but we'll take a Passat wagon of any sort, even if it's been given the Allroad treatment. It'll take some time to find out whether there's any meat to these rumors, of course, and it'll likely take more time still to figure out if the rumored model might see North American dealers. In the meantime, head over to Autobild to see a full rendering of the vehicle.