New Volkswagen Passat to be launched in India in January 2017: Report

German carmaker Volkswagen is gearing up for the re-launch of the Passat sedan in India. Volkswagen sold previous generation of car in India till 2014. The eighth generation of the sedan globally unveiled in 2014 and made India debut at Auto Expo 2016.

The return of the Passat will happen in January 2017, reports Autocar India. The sedan was recently snapped while testing in India sans camouflage. The new generation is also smaller yet VW claims the cabin space has gone up. Based on Volkswagen group's MQB platform, the new Passat has dropped 85 kg weight than its predecessor. The sedan comes with new design language of the company that sports a three slat chrome grille, LED wrap-around headlamps, LED DRLs and LED fog lights. The new version features more evolved design than the previous generations.

Reports indicate the new Passat will enter market with a petrol engine only. The 1.8-litre TSI engine that currently also powers the Skoda Octavia and Superb will develop 180hp. It will mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Along with the petrol variant, the plug-in-hybrid model, Passat GTE is also expected. The GTE version is powered by a four-cylinder, 1395cc TSI petrol engine developing 154bhp and 250Nm of torque. The electric motor working in harmony with the engine develops 114bhp that collectively churns out 214bhp and has a driving range of 1,000 km. A 2.0-litre TDI diesel unit mated to a DSG transmission will join the range later.

New Volkswagen Passat will rival the likes of the Toyota Camry and the Skoda Superb. The expected price of the new Passat ranges from Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 35 lakh.