Report: Volkswagen to expand Passat lineup, new Phaeton in the works

Volkswagen has been working on a new global platform that will underpin a large variety of their models. And as a part of these efforts to streamline manufacturing and assembly to help cut production costs, reports are saying that the “people’s car” make will be expanding the Passat’s lineup.

The new up and coming platform is internally coded the MQB platform and was first introduced on the new Audi A3, which will see its full unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

So far, the plans are to offer a range of Passat variants including the regular sedan, a wagon, the CC four-door coupe, and the new Alltrack variant (think Passat version of the Audi A6 All-Road Quattro).

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“MQB definitely provides more opportunities for us,” said VW’s marketing chief, Stefan Buhrmann, in an interview. “With the Passat, we can offer many different designs and wheelbases, and can be much more flexible with engines.”

In the same interview, Buhrmann said that Volkswagen is also still working on a Phaeton successor. But few details were exposed.

“We don’t see the Phaeton as a one-time event,” he added. “We work on every project and want to grow the Phaeton.”

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoCarUK