German carmaker Volkswagen is expected to launch the new Passat sedan in India in early 2017. And ahead of its arrival in the market, the carmaker is now believed to be putting the sedan through testing in the country.
A prototype of new Passat has been spied on the roads without any hint of camouflage. The latest images of the Passat come from Overdrive.
The eighth generation of the sedan was globally unveiled in 2014 and made its India debut at the Auto Expo 2016.
The new Passat will take on the likes of Toyota Camry and Skoda Superb in India and is expected to carry a price tag in the range of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. In India, Passat is expected to be launched in petrol and hybrid avatars.
The 1.8-litre TSI engine that also powers Skoda Octavia and Superb will develop 180hp, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. On the other hand, the plug-in-hybrid model, Passat GTE, will come powered by a four-cylinder, 1395cc TSI petrol engine developing 154bhp and 250Nm of torque.
The electric motor along with the engine collectively churns out 214bhp and has a driving range of 1,000 km. There have also been reports that a 2.0-litre TDI diesel unit mated to a DSG transmission may also come to the market later in its life cycle.
Volkswagen is also expected to launch the Vento facelift in India early next year.
