The Volkswagen Passat is one of the most beloved models made by the German car maker. This month, it celebrates 40 years of life and we decided to make a short review of its history.
Now, let’s get back in 1973 when the first generation of the Volkswagen Passat has come on the market. The exterior design was made by Giorgio Giugiaro, and after a few months it has become a best-seller. Until the end of its carrier, the first generation of the Passat was sold in over 2.5 million units.
The second generation was born in 1981 and was designed as a global model. The platform that Volkswagen used was named B2 and it was slightly longer that the first one. The second generation of the Volkswagen Passat was produced in China, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, South Africa and Japan. Until 1988, the German car maker has sold over 5.5 million units around the Globe. This success was achieved by introducing some new technologies like turbodiesel units and all-wheel drive system.
The third and fourth generations have been on the market between 1988 and 1996. The biggest move made by Volkswagen with the Passat was the VR6 engine. It has 2.8 liters and it could give the top of the range Passat a top speed of 224 km/h (139 mph).
The fifth generation of the Volkswagen Passat was produced between 1996 and 2005. The updated exterior, the new diesel engines and the debut on the Chinese market have been the most important moves on this generation. At the end of its career, the Passat B5 was sold over the world in nearly 4 million units.
In March 2005, the German car maker has unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show the sixth generation of the Passat. It was for the first time when the model will come with a double clutch gear box (DSG). Only in Europe, Volkswagen has come with the Passat R36 version. It had a 3.6 liter V6 unit that could deliver 300 horsepower.
The actual generation of the Volkswagen Passat has come with numerous technological innovations and with a new body version called Alltrack. It was designed to fill the gap between the passenger Volkswagen range and the SUV models like Tiguan or Tuareg.
In 40 years, Volkswagen has managed to sell the Passat in more than 20 million units. Good job, Volkswagen!