New Volkswagen Passat coming to India in January 2017

It looks like the launch of the new Passat sedan in India has almost been confirmed for January 2017 as the emerging reports suggest that the German car-maker would announce the launch date soon. Volkswagen Passat has been undergoing testing in India for quite sometime now and the sedan was also caught on the camera few times.

Volkswagen had showcased the eighth iteration of the Passat in India at the Auto Expo 2016 earlier this year. The model was unveiled globally in 2014. In India, Passat is expected to be launched in petrol and hybrid avatars. Volkswagen Passat was part of the Indian market till 2013 and was withdrawn from the country owing to poor sales. 

In India, Passat is expected to be launched in petrol and hybrid avatars. It is expected to come with a 1.8-litre TSI engine that also powers Skoda Octavia and Superb and will develop 180hp, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The plug-in-hybrid model, Passat GTE, is expected to come powered by a four-cylinder, 1395cc TSI petrol engine developing 154bhp and 250Nm of torque. The electric motor in tandem with engine can churn out 214bhp and has a driving range of 1,000 km. Reports also suggest that a 2.0-litre TDI diesel unit mated to a DSG transmission could also make it to the market. However, there has been no official confirmation on this.

Expected to get a price tag in the range of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh, the new Passat is expected to be pitted against Toyota Camry and Skoda Superb in India. Volkswagen, which is betting big on the Indian market, has launched several models in India in 2016 including a made-in-India made-for-India compact sedan Ameo. The coming year, the carmaker is also expected to bring the new Tiguan SUV to India.