Volkswagen Begins Production Of New Passat In India; Launch This Year

German car-makers, Volkswagen India has announced the start of production for its premium luxury sedan, Passat at its Aurangabad facility in Maharashtra. With a launch slated for later this year, the new Passat is the first sedan from the Volkswagen stable to be based on the MQB platform in India. The German car-makers are hoping that the sleek and suave design of the Passat will appeal to the Indian audience, as it competes against the likes of Honda Accord, BMW 3-Series and Toyota Camry. While VW had discontinued the sales of the Passat in India last year, the new Passat aims to redefine luxury sedan segment in India by bringing back the brand.

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Commenting on the occasion, Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said, "We are happy to bring back one of our most successful premium luxury products to the Indian market, the Volkswagen Passat. With the introduction of the Passat we extend our portfolio, encompassing a wide variety of products from a hatchback to a luxury sedan. The Passat exudes style, timeless design, exemplary performance, and is symbolic of a luxurious lifestyle. We are proud to introduce this car with an iconic heritage to the Indian market."

The new Volkswagen Passat's front fascia has an aggressive stance, featuring LED head lamps with dynamic Light Assist as an optional fitment. The radiator grille comes in three chrome slats which meets the sleek head lamps. The bonnet in front is molded and flanks get flared wheel arches. On the inside, a host of new features like 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster, borrowed from Audi TT, and a head up display. The cabin will also feature tweaked infotainment system, as the luggage space is likely to be increased by 26 litres offering a total room of 586 litres.

Also Read: New Volkswagen Passat Coming To India In The First Quarter Of 2017

Under the hood, the VW Passat will get a 2.0L TDI, 174 bhp engine mated to a 6-Speed DSG automatic gearbox and not a 1.4-litre engine as reported earlier. Although not yet confirmed, Volkswagen will also be bringing the Passat GTE Hybrid version to India that we drove early last year. If it does happen, then Passat GTE will be the first plug-in hybrid car from VW in India.

As far as the prices go, Volkswagen could price the new Passat at around Rs. 25 lakh for the Indian market.