Passat Dead in US

[turbodiesellover]

Read a couple of articles now that has said the Passat is going to be discontinued in 2023.
Going to make an electric vehicle in the Chattanooga Tennessee plant alongside the Atlas.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Sounds about right. Cars are getting phased out for SUVs and EVs. And VW has made the Passat so bland there's not a lot to recommend it any longer. If you want a sedan the Arteon is still out there, although that car's sales demonstrate how uninterested Americans are in Sedans these days.

2021 is the last year for the Golf, too. GTI will continue as a MK8, but the Golf will be no longer.

 

[turbocharged798]

I really don't understand the selling point of a CUV, they really aren't good at anything.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

IIRC Chattanooga has two lines now and not enough volume to keep one busy. At a dealer meeting last week Ford resurrected the suggestion that a "white space" car might be coming, that car has been rumored to be an AWD Focus wagon. Urban Ford dealers have been hurt by the loss of sedans, Ford's plant capacity is pretty much maxed out, and there's been rumors of VW building a car for Ford at Chattanooga...

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Answer is simple: People like to sit high. They feel safer, which, of course, is a myth. And around here drivers have been persuaded by automakers that AWD is essential. I've never thought so, but I'm clearly in the minority these days.

My son got a '15 Passat TDI a while ago, and it's working great for them. He's a new dad and the rear seat is so big that two people plus the car seat is no problem.

 

[oilhammer]

The present of automotive isn't very inspiring, and the future looks even worse, which is why I have chosen to have plenty of the past in my stable. I drove one of my stand-by cars this morning to give it some exercise, a 2004 Jetta sedan with nearly 200k miles. It doesn't look pretty, it has had a pretty neglectful previous life, and has been sitting untouched in my driveway for a month. It started right up, and I drove it about 10 miles just to keep everything "working", and it amazes me just how perfectly solid and nice to drive a car that I gave less than $200 for actually is. The fact that it is capable of getting 40 MPG (BEW+automatic) and could last almost indefinitely is icing on the cake. The depressing part is how quickly parts are drying up for these. The latest is key fobs. What they have in the warehouses is it. When they are gone, they are gone.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Guy I know says that the best cars ever were built in the 90s. I think he may be right. I include MKIV VWs in that group since they were launched in the 90s. The future doesn't look great. But if pressed, I won't need to buy another car, ever.

 

[oilhammer]

I am hoping I won't have to buy another [new] car either. I already miss my Sprinter, though, but am somewhat hopeful the new OM654 engine will come to the US and maybe some day at least increase the used car pool for that genre.

 

[gulfcoastguy]

Like most of my previous vehicles, my current one is a compact hatchback. It will be my last one. I am tired of parking in the boonies at stores and upon trying to leave finding a Yukon on one side and a 4 door Ford heavy duty on the other. Thankfully my current vehicle has a backup camera and cross traffic alerts. Then there is trying to turn left at a green light will one of these vehicles is in the opposite turn bay. My next one will be a CUV.

 

[[486]]

The latest is key fobs. What they have in the warehouses is it. When they are gone, they are gone.

no aftermarket chinese knockoffs?

 

[Nuje]

I was going to ask the same thing. I've purchased a few complete Mk4 fobs from Aliexpress in the past - cut, paired, and coded to IMMO just fine.
I recently purchased a 5pk of IMMO chips, too, to re-animate a few of the dead fobs that have accumulated over the years.

 

[ericy]

Read a couple of articles now that has said the Passat is going to be discontinued in 2023.
Going to make an electric vehicle in the Chattanooga Tennessee plant alongside the Atlas.

The claim is that Chattanooga will be making ID.4 for the U.S. market starting in 2022. I have an ID.4 on order, but that will have to come from Germany.