VW is apparently going to stop selling the Passat in the U.S. – adding to the roster of RIP’d sedans in favor of crossover SUVs.
Interestingly U.S. sales of the Passat are up by 25 percent but that is apparently insufficient to keep the car in production, probably because it isn’t electric. Volkswagen – thoroughly flogged over its “cheating” on government emissions certification tests – has announced it will sell nothing but electric cars by 2030 (there’s that date again).
It is harder to sell electric sedans because they are even less practical than electric crossovers, due to the space lost to batteries. The crossover layout is more amenable to electrification because there’s more space for the batteries, leaving some space for cargo.
The loss of the Passat will likely also mean the loss of the jobs assembling it at the Chattanooga, TN plant where the U.S. Passat is made. The TN plant is also where the VW Atlas and Atlas CrossSport are made, so the plant will likely remain open. But it will build fewer vehicles unless VW gins up enough Atlas/CrossSport sales to make up for the roughly 16,000 Passats that won’t be made there anymore.
Those who get pink-slipped can send a note to El Presidente (s)elect Joe Biden, whose EVs-are-the-future policies no doubt hastened VW’s decision to deep-six the Passat.
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We are all Chinese now.
I’m in Cancun Hostal right now sheltering in place with hitchhiking late adolescents.
Tik Tok sends me 5rh of November V dancers but I still don’t feel free like the 1 percenter Revenant era paleo liberals a la John Locke Morlocks that eat Elon Musk mobilers who run outta cargo juice.
They still taste like chicken, but their gels and diapers aren’t as good for seasoning.
Any hoozit You guys look smart. You guys ever driveQuintana Roo testing cars. Stop by and we’ll enjoy a serving of Schadensnachkh together.
I’m pretty good chef if I do say so myself in this very dark road leading to a hostal just ask I send GPS right away you tasty BNW John Savages.
It saddens me that gas cars are going the way of the dodo bird
the passat is a nice car. solid german feel great visibility. i waa thinking about a 2017 version or so. shame.
Not to worry! As part of the Build Back Better™ program anyone laid off from their job making illegal products people actually want will get retrained to write computer “code.”
Internships will be offered at smartmatic and dominon as well as Scytel. .
RK – our brilliant Dear Leaders here in the UK have already though of a solution. They have said that moving to electrification will create many new jobs – firstly to manufacture all those new electric cars needed, and 2 to dismantle and recycle those old dirty petrol cars (which will be taxed so much most wont be able to afford them). Reminds me of the old saying about communist governments creating jobs by employing a guy to dig a hole, and then another guy to fill it back in!! 2 jobs created !!
Petrol can repurpose as cooking fuel amiright mate. combustion internal Uber alles und Unter nein.