Volkswagen's Passat sold in the United States will be redesigned in 2019, brand boss Herbert Diess revealed to the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Monday at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Production will take place at VW's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the current U.S.-Passat has been in production since 2011.
The redesign is part of a $1.2 billion investment VW will make in the U.S. over the next three years. The plans also call for a second SUV to join at the Atlas at the Chattanooga plant.
Diess didn't reveal any specifics, however, it's thought the redesigned Passat will adopt the MQB platform found in most VW products, including the Atlas. The vehicle is also thought to remain separate to the Passat sold overseas, even though the latter will be redesigned around the same time as the U.S.-spec car.
The redesign should ignite more interest in the Passat, which saw its sales fall 16.8 percent to 60,722 units in 2017. The dip was more a reflection of waning sales for sedans rather than a lack of interest in VW products, however, as the brand's total sales in the U.S. grew 5.2 percent to 339,7000 units over the course of 2017. The increase was helped along by the addition of the Atlas and a redesigned Tiguan.
Before the arrival of the redesigned Passat, VW will add a sporty Passat GT. The car was unveiled on Monday at the Detroit show and will be on sale later this year. VW also used the Detroit show to introduce a redesigned Jetta. To learn about other vehicles at the show, head to our dedicated hub.
