About an inch longer than the Fusion -- and around 4 inches longer than the current Passat, the new model will roll out of a Chattanooga, Tenn., plant VW built to serve American customers.
The conservatively styled Passat borrows from the design of the new Jetta compact sedan. It will offer a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter five-cylinder, a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel or a 280-horsepower V6 engine.
VW says the diesel may get 43 m.p.g. on the highway. A five-speed manual, six-speed automatic and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission will be available.
