After having released sketches of the car last week, VW has confirmed a July reveal for the eighth generation Passat. The 2015 VW Passat, as announced by the carmaker, will be open for orders in the UK by the end of this year and the first customer deliveries will take place in early 2015.
The new generation Passat will be 85 kg lighter than its predecessor thanks to the use of high-strength, hot-formed steel and aluminium in certain areas. This will enable a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency, claims VW.
Inside, the new Passat will feature improved legroom, headroom and boot space, despite exterior dimensions which are actually "marginally smaller" than the outgoing model. An Active Info Display will replace the instrument cluster and will feature a configurable 12.3-inch TFT display. Other features confirmed for the new Passat include a heads-up display, 360-degree Area View function and the latest generation of Park Assist (which includes the option for the car to park itself forwards into perpendicular spaces).
Safety features come in the form of Rear Traffic Alert, Traffic Jam Assist, Emergency Assist (which can potentially halt the car when the driver is incapacitated) and Front Assist system with City Emergency Braking. In terms of lighting, all variants will come with LED taillights, while the headlights can be specified as halogen or LED.
VW have mentioned two new engines for the 2015 Passat. A 2.0-liter four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel producing 240 PS and 500 Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm will be exclusively sold with a 7-speed DSG and four-wheel drive technology. Another new engine variant is a plug-in hybrid which will have a range of 600 miles (960 km) with an electric range of 31 miles (49.6 km).
2015 VW Passat To Be Revealed in July - Press Release
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