VW USA Akan Membersarakan Passat Dan Menumpukan Perhatian Hanya Kepada SUV

Walau bagaimana pun, Volkswagen mengumumkan varian Passat edisi terhad yang terakhir.

Oleh kerana pembeli kenderaan sedunia mengalihkan perhatian mereka pada SUV dan Crossover, pasar sedan menyusut ke titik di mana tidak lagi layak menyimpan sedan di ruang pameran untuk dijual.

Perkara yang sama berlaku di Malaysia kerana kita melihat pengurangan minat rakyat Malaysia terhadap Honda Accord, Mazda6 dan Toyota Camry dan semakin ramai yang membawa pulang Mazda CX5 SUV, Honda CR-V dan Toyota Harrier.

Langkah ini telah mendorong Volkswagen di Amerika untuk menghentikan penjualan sedan mereka yang sebelum ini agak popular, Passat dan beralih ke SUV seperti VW Tiguan dan VW Toureg.

Gergasi automotif Jerman ini baru mengumumkan bahawa ia akan segera menamatkan pengeluaran domestik Passat spesifikasi Amerika Utara di kilang Chattanooga. Langkah yang akan menyaksikan peralihan Volkswagen ke arah pembuatan lebih banyak SUV di sana, pengeluaran Passat di Tennessee tetap akan berjalan lancar.

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Ini kerana VW telah meraikan langkah ini dengan varian Edisi Terhad, bilangan kecil yang menampilkan apa yang dikatakan oleh pembuat kenderaan itu sebagai pelbagai ‘perincian yang diilhamkan oleh Chattanooga’.

Sebelum mengetahui apa yang sangat istimewa mengenai Passat Terakhir ini, perlu diingatkan bahawa sedan VW besar ini adalah kereta pertama yang dibina di kilang Chattanooga ini. Oleh itu, inilah sebabnya kenapa model ini mempunyai kepentingan khusus untuk jenama ini di Amerika Utara.

Perlu dinyatakan juga bahawa Passat spesifikasi Amerika Utara ini sebenarnya sangat berbeza dengan saudara kandungnya yang serupa yang dijual di Eropah dan di sini, dengan yang pertama lebih besar dan sebenarnya kurang berteknologi daripada yang terakhir.

Jadi mungkin masih ada sedikit nyawa yang tinggal pada sedan VW besar spesifikasi Euro untuk beberapa tahun lagi, sebelum pembuat kereta itu akhirnya beralih ke usaha elektrik sepenuhnya nanti.

MEDIA RELEASE: After a decade of success with American sedan buyers, Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that it will end assembly of the Passat sedan in Chattanooga with model year 2022, part of the plant’s transformation to build future electric vehicles. To celebrate the integral role of the Passat in the resurgence of Volkswagen in the United States, a short-run Limited Edition will join the line-up with Chattanooga-inspired details.

“We’ve sold some version of the Passat for nearly 50 years, and the Passat launched our relationship with Chattanooga, which supports thousands of jobs,” said Scott Keogh, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. “With the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport in high demand, and the North American production launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV next year, our future in Chattanooga looks brighter than ever.”

The 2022 Passat Limited Edition includes unique exterior and interior design details created to celebrate the model’s history and recognize the contributions of the employees who built Passat. A run of 1,973 Limited Edition models are expected to be produced to recognize the year the first Passat was launched in Germany.

The Passat Limited Edition will be available in four unique colour combinations, with the number of each paying homage to an aspect of the vehicle’s past. Aurora Red Metallic models with Titan Black interior will number 411 units, representing the original vehicle production code. 

Racing Green Metallic models with Mauro Brown interior will be number 423, for the Chattanooga, TN area code, and Pure White models with Mauro Brown interior will number 524 units, signifying the opening date of the Chattanooga Plant on May 24, 2011. To round out the limited run, 615 Platinum Grey Metallic models with Titan Black interior will be produced—signifying six generations of imported Passat’s, one generation assembled in Chattanooga, and five decades of U.S. sales.

Outside, distinctive wheels and mirror caps differentiate the Limited Edition from the rest of the Passat line-up. Fifteen-spoke 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels are standard, along with black mirror caps for the power-folding mirrors with memory. Additionally, Limited Edition models feature LED headlights with the Advanced Front-lighting System (AFS) and Easy Open trunk.

Inside, Limited Edition models will bear unique seat tags featuring “1 of 1973” on one side and “Chattanooga 2011” on the other. A special mat adorns the cup holders, featuring aerial maps of the city and an aerial line drawing of the Chattanooga factory. Additionally, Limited Edition models will be equipped with comfort sport seats with perforated Vienna leather seating surfaces, driver seat memory, power passenger seat, heated front and rear seats, Discover Media infotainment with navigation, Fender® Premium Audio, Park Assist with front and rear Park Distance Control and Light Assist (High Beam Control for Headlights).

Pricing for the 2022 Passat Limited Edition starts at USD30,295 MSRP with a destination cost of USD995. The Aurora Red Metallic exterior colour option is an additional USD395.

The first versions of the Passat family sedans and wagons from Volkswagen for U.S. customers were launched in 1974 under the Dasher name. More than 222,000 were sold before the car was replaced by the second-generation Passat, this time marketed as the Quantum. The Passat name appeared for the first time in the U.S. market in 1990 and has remained ever since. The first six generations were exported from Europe.

In 2011, Volkswagen started assembling the Passat for the North American market out of its advanced assembly plant in Chattanooga. Specifically designed for North America, the 2012 Passat was bigger than the car it replaced, with ample rear-seat and trunk space, offering German engineering and styling at a competitive price. The U.S.-assembled Passat has been exported around the world—to Canada, South Korea and Middle Eastern markets—ever since.