What we came to know as the Passat Alltrack last year when Volkswagen revealed the high-riding estate at the Tokyo Motor Show before launching it in Europe this past February, will be displayed as the Alltrack Concept at this week’s New York Auto Show.
The Alltrack is based on the facelifted version of the European market Passat Estate, and not the North American model built at VW’s manufacturing facility in Chattanooga.
The German firm makes it pretty clear that the Alltrack is just a showcar for now to gauge market reaction to a potential future model similar in size that “combines offroad ability with wagon versatility”.
“Essentially, it’s an Alltrack concept because we want to test the waters with the public if there’s a market for an all-wheel-drive, TDI wagon with raised ground clearance that’s similarly sized to the vehicle we are showing,” VW spokesman Mark Gillies told Carscoop.
What this means is that if the public reaction is positive, VW may develop a similar model for the North American market, possibly based on the local Passat.
Aside from the hiked up ride height and available 4Motion all-wheel drive system, the Passat Alltrack is also equipped with underbody steel plates to protect its mechanical hardware.
VW’s designers applied the usual soft-roader styling cues such as chunky bumpers and flared side skirts plus plastic cladding around the wheelarches.
The model on display at the New York Auto Show will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged TDI Clean Diesel engine that makes 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, linked to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.
So, what do you think, should VW launch the Alltrack or a similar model in North America? Have your say in the comments area below.
NY SHOW VW ALLTRACK
EU MARKET 2012 VW PASSAT ALLTRACK
