Volkswagen Passat (North America)
| Volkswagen Passat NMS | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
| Also called | B7 |
| Production | 2011 - present |
| Model years | 2012 - present |
| Assembly |
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| Designer | Oliver Stefani |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,803 mm (110.4 in) |
| Length | 4,870 mm (191.7 in) |
| Width | 1,834 mm (72.2 in) |
| Height | 1,472 mm (58.0 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | |
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat (formerly known as the Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan, or NMS while under development) is a mid-sized sedan which replaces the previous-generation Passat B6 in the North American market. The model is also shipped overseas to South Korea. 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 competitive to offerings from competitors at the $20K mark.
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. From 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.
North American and South Korean models are built at Volkswagen Group of America's new Chattanooga, Tennessee production facility. The new facility is a "Flex Plant" which will allow for the production of vehicles based on the NMS and MQB platforms. VW announced in October 2016 that a seven-seat crossover vehicle to be called Atlas and based on the MQB platform will be built at the plant beginning in late 2016.
The NMS is sold in the North American, South Korean, Middle Eastern, and Chinese Markets, with no plans for a wagon/estate version. With the differing B7 Passat models sold outside of these markets, Volkswagen are marketing two different Passats concurrently across the globe. The Volkswagen Passat NMS won the 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The 2013 Passat TDI sets new Guinness World Record for fuel economy under the Non-Hybrid car category. It achieved a fuel consumption of only 3.02 liter on 100 Kilometers (77.99 mpg).
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