SPY PICS: Next Volkswagen Passat on starting block

Our spy photographers have managed to snap another completely undisguised sixth-generation Volkswagen Passat prototype undergoing some final open-road testing in Germany.

The significance of the sighting may not be apparent to all readers, but the next Volkswagen Passat is widely anticipated to be the last internal combustion version ever produced as the German car-maker continues its transition to becoming a dedicated battery-electric vehicle manufacturer.

The obvious lack of any camouflage is also a strong indication the new model’s global reveal is just around the corner, even if our sources continue to nominate a 2023 or even 2024 launch for the all-new family sedan and wagon.

Likely to be underpinned by Volkswagen’s ubiquitous MQB front/all-wheel drive platform architecture, the new Passat’s styling will be immediately familiar if you’ve seen our previous spy shots of the next Passat or even the new Volkswagen Tiguan, with both mid-size models wearing a similar big-mouthed front bumper design.

The look first debuted on the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf GTI hot hatch and soon evolved on the front of the Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV as well as the related ID.5.

Now with the front-end design signature appearing on the next Passat and Tiguan, it seems all of Volkswagen’s future products will head in this stylistic direction, however, we reckon the Passat application is nowhere near as gaudy as the Tiguan’s.

carsales understands the new Passat will be built alongside the next Skoda Superb at the Volkswagen Group’s enormous Bratislava factory in Slovakia, and will most likely be offered with a blend of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains depending on the market, as well as a battery-electric version.

The current Passat has been on sale in Australia since late 2014 and received a mid-life update in 2019 to help it stay competitive until the end of its model life.

A 2023 or 2024 European launch suggests we won’t see the new model Down Under until at least late next year, with the subsequent high-riding Alltrack crossover wagon version expected to arrive some six months or so later.

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