- volkswagen has confirmed that the passat sedan will be discontinued in the u.s. by the end of the decade.
- the german automaker will shift its focus toward suvs, including the atlas and the upcoming taos subcompact suv and id.4 electric crossover, in the states.
- the 2021 passat starts at $24,990 and is powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder that's epa rated at 28 mpg combined.
volkswagen is planning to discontinue the passat sedan in the u.s. in favor of its suvs, ceo ralf brandstätter said. the company's new taos compact suv is arriving next year as well as an electric crossover, the id.4, which will eventually be built at vw's chattanooga, tennessee, plant alongside the atlas and atlas cross sport suvs.
"we've made a decision to cancel the passat for the u.s. later in the decade," brandstätter said, not specifying a date. "the sales trend is very firmly in favor of suv models, as indicated by the success of the atlas."
the id.4 is set to arrive in the u.s. early next year. until production begins in chattanooga, the cars will be imported from vw's factory in zwickau, germany. some observers have speculated that the plant would need to cease production of the passat to make room for the id.4, but a volkswagen spokesperson told car and driver that we shouldn't assume that vw "need[s] to get rid of one vehicle to make room for the other."
the vw passat has been sold in the u.s. since the sedan's third generation, starting in 1990. prior to that, the passat was sold here as the dasher starting in 1974 and as the quantum from 1982 until 1990. it was built in the u.s. starting in 2011.
it's not the end of the passat in other parts of the world, though. volkswagen confirmed to car and driver that a new mqb-based passat model is coming. when the current generation ends production in the u.s., it will be nearly 12 years old. vw never offered a hybrid, something the jetta sedan and honda accord have both had, or an all-wheel-drive model, like the toyota camry.