Volkswagen Passat sedan axed

The Volkswagen Passat sedan has been kyboshed following slow global sales.

As new-car buyers continue to abandon traditional vehicle types such as sedans and wagons, instead embracing SUVs and crossovers en masse, models such as the Passat sedan are increasingly becoming collateral damage.

The latest (B8-series) Volkswagen Passat wagon will continue to be sold in Australia and globally, alongside the upmarket Arteon flagship, which has the appearance of the sedan but with a liftback tailgate – albeit at a much higher price.

Currently available in two trims powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine – the 140TSI ($47,690) and 162TSI ($52,890) – the Passat sedan will effectively be replaced by the $61,740 Arteon sedan.

A spokesperson for Volkswagen Group Australia told carsales the Passat sedan is still available from dealerships but stocks would dry up by mid-year.

“Time has been called on sedans for some time now,” said VGA’s head of communications, Paul Pottinger.

“But the Passat is here to stay – the wagon lives on.

“The Passat sedan is in stock but emergency services such as the police are priority customers for the sedan,” he added.

The Volkswagen Passat has been pressed into service with Victoria Police in several guises, including the high-output all-wheel drive Passat R-Line model (206kW/350kW) for highway patrol duties.

Victoria Police has more Passat wagons on order and it’s understood the NSW Police Force is also looking at the Passat wagon for general and highway patrol duties.

The original Passat was launched in 1973 and has evolved through eight generations.

Production of the seven-year-old Passat sedan sold in Australia took place at Volkswagen’s Emdem plant in Germany until late 2021, leaving markets such as Europe, the UK and Australia with the wagon only.

The extra capacity made available at the factory will instead be used to manufacture electric vehicles.

The US-market Passat sedan, which is slightly different to European versions, was also axed in late 2021 but the mid-size sedan is still built and sold in China.

Sales of the Passat rose by two thirds in Australia in 2021, from 568 units to 948, while the jacked-up Passat Alltrack adventure wagon found 221 units – up from just one sale the year before.

A new-generation (B9) Passat wagon is set to make its debut in 2023.