Volkswagen To Cancel Passat Sedan In Europe By 2023?

According to company sources familiar with the plans, VW will ax the Passat sedan not only in the U.S. but in Europe as well, in order to focus on electric cars and SUVs.

Instead, the German carmaker will only keep its Passat station wagon going when the new-generation model is introduced toward the end of 2023, reports Autonews Europe. The wagon will carry on in markets such as Germany.

Now, we’d advise you to take this report as more of a rumor, even though unnamed sources have been cited. The thing is, the Passat remains Europe’s no.1 selling non-premium midsize model, with 88,478 units finding new owners through October. It’s an award-winning nameplate, where last year it even brought home the title of “Best Company Car In 2019”.

Read Also: VW To Stop Building And Selling The Passat In The U.S. In 2023

We also learned recently that VW will cancel the Passat for the U.S. – a more logical decision given the 16,190 units sold during the first three quarters of 2020. Still, doing away with it in Europe, especially after announcing the production shift to Bratislava, makes much less sense, even if it’s just the sedan version.

However, another VW source said that by eliminating the Passat sedan, the Group would reduce internal competition between the VW brand and Skoda, with the Superb finally free to target more midsize buyers in central and eastern Europe.

Currently, VW builds the European Passat in Emden, Germany, a location that will soon be used to build battery-electric vehicles exclusively – including the ID.4 crossover and a midsize electric sedan codenamed Aero B.