Passat: Volkswagen celebrates 50 years of this car

Passat was a classic Volkswagen car that celebrates 50 years of the launch of that model. Keep reading and learn more about it!

After a three-year break, the Volkswagen returns to Techno Classica, one of the largest car fairs in the world, held annually in Essen, Germany.

VW plans to present itself as a brand “with heart” and showcase its historic models. The centerpiece will feature 50 years of the Passat, a car that VW calls both an everyday hero and a design classic.

Volkswagen launched the Passat in 1973 as a flagship model and part of its strategy to transform its post-Beetle lineup.

Based on the Audi 80, the Passat shared many components and styling with the Audi, both designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

Offered as a sedan, wagon or lift, it featured front-wheel drive and fuel injection, making it one of the most modern European family cars of its day.

A second-generation model debuted in 1980.

Still sharing most of its components with the Audi 80, the top models received the five-cylinder Audi engine and four-wheel drive, which Volkswagen called Syncro.

Production increased as VW built it in China, Mexico, South America and South Africa and sold it on six continents.

Volkswagen made several changes with the third-generation Passat, including moving the Passat to a shared VW platform with the Golf.

It was the first version of the car called Passat in the United States. Previous generations were known as Dasher and Quantum.

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Styling also departed from Audi and featured a unique front end reminiscent of air-cooled VWs of yesteryear. It is the only generation with this unusual style.

VW designed a facelift in 1993, and the styling reverted to its more traditional Audi look thereafter.

For Techno Classica, VW gave the Passat the motto "Immer weider neu" or "always reinventing itself" to mark the car's birthday. From the beginning, customers liked the Passat for its value and engineering. Each of the eight generations built on these strengths while adapting to changing times.

More recently, these changes have included the removal of the Passat of the US schedule and the end of production of the sedan. The 2024 model will be a wagon-only model sharing a platform with Skoda, while the sedan version will be replaced by a new EV.

Source: Engine1