Volkswagen is planning to launch an assortment of electric vehicles and it appears a replacement for the Passat could be among them.
Speaking to Roadshow, Volkswagen of America’s chief operating officer said the Passat has a “finite lifespan” and “It’s probably a reasonable assumption that when this Passat reaches the end of its lifecycle, its successor will probably not feature an internal combustion engine.”
Johan de Nysschen didn’t say when the changeover could occur, but the US-spec Passat was given an extensive facelift for 2020. While it’s nicer than its appliance-like predecessor, there’s no hiding the fact that the car is nearly a decade old and isn’t as good as the European variant.
Also Read: 2020 Volkswagen Passat Polishes Up Its Looks, But Keeps Aging Underpinnings For America
Sales of the US-spec Passat have also tanked as the brand went from selling 117,023 units in 2012 to just 14,123 last year. That’s a massive drop and sedans that sell in far greater numbers have been killed by Ford and General Motors.
Of course, news that the Passat could be going electric shouldn’t be too surprising as Volkswagen introduced the I.D. VIZZION concept in 2018. The model rode on the MEB platform and is slated to spawn a production model that arrives in 2022.
That’s still a couple of years off, but the concept had a 111 kWh lithium-ion battery which was housed in the floor. It feed two electric motors which gave the model all-wheel drive and a combined output of 302 hp (225 kW / 306 PS). More importantly, the concept could travel up to 413 miles (665 km) on a single charge in the New European Driving Cycle.
Since the concept was introduced, Volkswagen has followed up with a wagon variant that “previews a potential production car for Europe and North America.”
