Volkswagen Passat NMS

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat (formerly known as the Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan, or NMS^[1] while under development) is a mid-sized sedan which replaces the previous-generation Passat B6 in the North American market. The Passat NMS was officially announced in January 2011 at the Detroit Auto Show. Built at the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant, The new Passat allows building and shipping costs to be reduced significantly over its predecessor making it more competititive to offerings from Toyota and Honda at the $20K mark.

In China, the new model is built by 上海大众汽车Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive and is marketed as a more upscale model with some interior and exterior differences to the North American model. such as wood trimmed steering wheel, rear air vents, and LED accented headlights. It is sold alongside models such as the long wheel base version of the European Passat known as the Magotan and a B5 Passat based Passat LingYu.

The NMS is not going to be sold outside the North American and Chinese Markets, with no plans for a wagon/estate version.With the differing B7 Passat models sold outside of these markets, Volkswagen will be marketing two different Passats concurrently across the globe.

Production

The Passat NMS is part of Volkswagen Group's strategy to sell upwards of 800,000 vehicles per year in the North American market. The vehicle was developed by Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive and Volkswagen Passenger Cars,and is partially based on the PQ46 platform used by the European Passat.Nose to tail it measures 191.6 inches, growing 4 inches from the European model and features a stretched 110.4-inch wheelbase and 72.2-inch width, which allows for class leading rear legroom in the Mid-Sized class. In the US, the Passat NMS is built at Volkswagen Group of America's new Chattanooga, Tennessee production facility,^[1]. The new facility is a "Flex Plant" which will allow for the production of more than one vehicle that is based on the NMS platform. Reports say that a seven seat crossover vehicle based on the NMS will be built at the plant.

In China, 上海大众汽车Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive manufactures the Passat NMS in its Nanjing factory^[2][3]

Design

Volkswagen released a sketch of the NMS in February 2009^[4] and a more detailed, second sketch on 28 October 2009.^[5]The Passat NMS differs from its European counterpart with an overall more chiseled appearance, however it reflects the new Volkswagen Design DNA developed by Walter de Silva, the Italian design chief for the Volkswagen Group, and Klaus Bischoff, the German design leader for the Volkswagen Brand. The design features a predominance of horizontal body elements and three-blade grille and headlights forming a single unit, while its foglights float above L-shaped chrome brackets. The Passat NMS interior borrows most of its design elements from the European Passat, most notably the tradition clock and splashes of contrasting trim. However, it lacks the swooping design of its European counterpart.

Engines

In Canada and the United States, the NMS was intially released with a 2.5L 5 Cylinder, 2.0TDI and 3.6VR6 matched to 5 speed manuals, automatics as well as 6 speed manuals and DSGs. Despite being a new model, the 2.5L will eventually be phased out by a more economical 1.8TSI 158bhp engine. Company officials have announced that by the summer of 2012, the New Midsize Sedan will also be available as a hybrid. The 2.0TDI engine is not offered on Mexican models.

In China, the NMS is offered with a base 1.4TSI avalible with a 5 speed manual or 7 speed DSG, while the 2.0TSI and 3.0V6 come standard with 6 and 7 speed DSG gearboxes.

Transmissions

See also

• Volkswagen New Compact Sedan

References

External links

• Volkswagen of America Passat page
• Volkswagen Canada Passat Page
• Volkswagen Mexico Passat Page
• Volkswagen China New Passat Page
• Volkswagen China Passat Interactive Page
• Shanghai Volkswagen Passat Site