Volkswagen Passat (North America and China)

This article is about the 2011–present Volkswagen Passat model sold in North America and China. For other models of Passat, see Volkswagen Passat.
Volkswagen Passat (NMS)
Second-generation Passat (North America)
Overview
ManufacturerVolkswagen
Production2011–present (China)
2011–2022 (United States)
Model years2012–2022 (North America)
Body and chassis
ClassMid-size car (D)
Body style4-door sedan
LayoutFront-engine, front-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor
SuccessorVolkswagen ID.7 (North America)

The Volkswagen Passat for the North American and Chinese markets (internally designated Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan, or NMS while under development[1]) is a mid-size sedan that debuted in January 2011 at the Detroit Auto Show. It replaced the B6 Passat in the North American market. The Passat NMS was marketed in North America, the Middle East,[2] South Korea and China, with no wagon/estate version available. In China, it is sold alongside the long-wheelbase version of the European Passat known as the Magotan.

At its introduction, the Passat NMS was part of Volkswagen Group's strategy to sell over 800,000 vehicles per year in the North American market by 2018.[3][4] While it is larger, the model is more downscale compared to the European-market Passat to achieve a lower price point in order to penetrate the mainstream mid-size sedan market in the North American market.[5][6]

The second-generation Passat for North America and China diverged into two different models, both released in 2019. The North American Passat continued to use the same platform with the A32/A33 Passat NMS introduced in 2011, making it a reskinned version of its predecessor. The Chinese-market Passat launched in 2019 is built on a completely different platform, which is the Volkswagen Group MQB, and has been lengthened in wheelbase and overall length compared to its predecessor.

  1. ^ "2011 Volkswagen Jetta / NCS (New Compact Sedan) and NMS (New Mid-Size Sedan) U.S.-Market Sedans – Spied". Car and Driver. December 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Volkswagen Passat 2012 now in UAE, KSA, Oman and GCC". Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Volkswagen Passat (2011): the American one". CAR Magazine. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. ^ Brown, Chris. "How Will VW Sell 800,000 Units in America?". www.businessfleet.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ^ "2012 Volkswagen Passat: Made in America". The Car Guide. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. ^ "2012 Volkswagen Passat: Germany's take on a big-ol' American car". Los Angeles Times. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2020.