New Passat marks VW's return to U.S. production

The car is larger than its German-built predecessor but priced thousands of dollars less to match the C/D-class competition. The plant assembly line has 150,000 capacity, over 10 times the 2010 Passat sales volume.

The 2012 Passat marks Volkswagen's return to U.S. production, and because it competes in the C/D front-drive mass market against well-regarded sedan competitors, it has to be virtually bulletproof right from the start. That simple fact was recognized by the company's Board of Management every bit as much as by the U.S. production, marketing, service, and quality teams.

More than two-thirds of 2010 Passat sales, some 28,000 of 41,000, were for the CC, the coupe-like sedan that will continue to be imported from Germany. That leaves plenty of room for growth for the new U.S.-built Passat sedan line, which will be pitted against domestic, Japanese, and Korean competitors including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Chrysler 200, and Dodge Avenger. The same room for growth also applies to the assembly line at the new Chattanooga, TN, plant, which has a capacity for 150,000 units.