The Volkswagen Passat joins a growing list of mid-size sedans destined for the automotive graveyard. The under-performing sedan gets one last hurrah with a Limited Edition model for 2022, which will be its last year of production in the U.S., Volkswagen announced Monday.
Overshadowed by the larger, luxury-leaning Volkswagen Arteon sedan, and with a low TCC Rating of 5.7 out of 10, the 2021 VW Passat paled in comparison to better sedans and more popular crossover SUVs. VW will shift production in its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant away from the low-selling Passat to electric vehicles. The plant also makes the popular Atlas three-row crossover SUV and five-seat Atlas Sport crossover.
“With the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport in high demand, and the North American production launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV next year, our future in Chattanooga looks brighter than ever,” Scott Keogh, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, said in statement.
That bright future won’t include the Passat, which launched in Germany in 1973. In the U.S., it launched the following year under the Dasher badge; the Passat name appeared in 1990. Just shy of its 50th birthday, the Passat will get a short-term run of 1,973 Limited Edition models celebrating the vehicle’s past and its association with the Chattanooga plant that has been making the sedan for the past decade.
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
The 2022 Passat Limited Edition comes in four color schemes sold in a volume significant to VW. For instance, sales of Racing Green metallic models with brown interiors will be limited to 423 units, which is the Chattanooga area code. Regardless of color and sales numerology, 15-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels come standard, along with black mirror caps and power-folding side mirrors. Adaptive LED headlights are also standard, as is special badging such as “Chattanooga 2011” on a front seat tag. The standard front sport seats are covered in leather and have power adjustments, and both front and rear seats are heated.
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
2022 Volkswagen Passat Limited Edition
The 2022 Passat Limited Edition costs $31,290, including destination, which makes it more expensive than the 2021 R-Line model that had been the range topper at $29,995.
The Passat joins other discontinued sedans such as the Ford Fusion, Chevy Impala, Mazda 6, and others that have gone to the great highway in the sky.
Keyword: Volkswagen Passat sedan discontinued after 2022 Limited Edition model