In China, from experienced drivers in their fifties and sixties to strivers in their twenties who have just entered society, almost everyone does not know about the Passat, and it has always been popular among consumers. Their status in their minds is very high. Unfortunately, a crash test in 2019 caused its image to collapse, but at this time, news happened to show that Passat may be about to withdraw from the stage of history. I don’t know if it is fate or a coincidence.

At the recent Chicago Auto Show in the United States, Johan de Nysschen, chief operating officer of Volkswagen America, said: The recently updated Passat model is in our new car planning, and the new Passat may not exist for a long time. It will be too long! Some media claim that the production version of the pure electric ID.VIZZION concept car may be the successor of the next-generation Passat.

But before that, Passat will also undergo a transformation process from oil to electric. Recently, overseas media reported that Volkswagen has confirmed that it will officially put into production the pure electric version of the Passat in 2021, and will be the first to go on sale at overseas dealers in 2022.

In terms of power, the pure electric Passat is expected to be equipped with the same pure electric powertrain as the Volkswagen ID.3, and equipped with three different capacity battery packs, respectively 45kWh, 58kWh, and 77kWh, with a maximum cruising range They are 330km, 420km and 550km respectively. The new car may be based on the Passat station wagon, but its appearance will be closer to some designs of new energy models.

The Passat is an old member of the Volkswagen family. The first-generation Passat came out in 1973, but at that time its name was Dasher. The year of its birth was the glorious period of the Beetle and Golf. A sedan with a hatchback shape equipped with a longitudinally mounted OHC four-cylinder engine and a MacPherson front suspension system appeared. Everyone collectively called this generation Passat B1. .

In the development process of the Passat B1 model, it has undergone two facelifts. In 1975, the Dasher was equipped with a 1.6L engine with Bosch fuel injection technology, with a maximum horsepower of 78 horsepower. The appearance also changed from the first-generation double-eye round headlights to four-eye round lights. In 1977, the Dasher was modified again and the engine's valve seat was strengthened. This generation of Dasher was updated with a square light design, laying the foundation for the passat B2.

After the success of Dasher, the German Volkswagen Group continued its efforts and launched the Passat B2 in 1980. The B2 generation model has special significance to the Chinese. It has been produced and sold in China for thirty years. After the model was completely eliminated, the B2 is still known as Santana in China and is still used in another car using the PQ25 platform. It continues on the model.

In 1988, the Volkswagen Group launched the Passat B3, and its weird front face became the car’s distinctive symbol. The engine of this generation model has become a transverse assembly, which is also an important change in the development history of the Passat family. The powertrain also has diversified choices of 1.6L, 1.8L and 2.0L.

In 1993, Volkswagen redesigned the Passat from the inside out and launched the Passat B4 series. The front face adopted the same design language as the Jetta at that time. In 1995, my country imported nearly 40,000 Passat B4s, and this Passat model can still be seen occasionally on the streets.

In 1996, the Passat B5 model came out, which is also the generation of model most familiar to Chinese consumers. In 2000, SAIC Volkswagen began to introduce this model, starting the Passat's rapid development in the country. This generation of B5 models adopts Audi's platform and technology. There are 1.8L, 1.8T, 2.8L V6 and several diesel engines to choose from. This generation of models is also the generation of models most recognized by consumers.

Later, with the Volkswagen Group's new platform plan, there was an urgent need for a car to verify the universal feasibility of the platform including the engine. In this way, a Passat equipped with a W8 engine was launched in 2001. Shanghai Volkswagen also created the Passat Lingyu model based on the Passat B5, which has become a generation classic.

In 2005, the new generation Passat B6 was born under the PQ46 platform, Volkswagen’s most advanced mid-size car design and production platform at the time. At the same time, the Passat series was also produced by the domestic FAW-Volkswagen. Since the Passat trademark is still in Shanghai Volkswagen Therefore, FAW-Volkswagen had to use the name "MAGOTAN" to name the B6 model. At this time, Shanghai Volkswagen was still concentrating on producing the B5 Lingyu. At the same time, a derivative model of the B6, the well-known Volkswagen CC, also came out at this time. For a time, it became a popular model among young consumers with its excellent appearance design.

Everyone must be very familiar with the subsequent B7 and B8. The overseas version of the B7 is benchmarked against the domestic FAW-Volkswagen Magotan and SAIC-Volkswagen Passat respectively, and the style has begun to move closer to business sedans. In order to take care of domestic consumers, the domestic B8 still uses a lengthened wheelbase.

Currently, Passat is sold globally in three versions, namely the European Passat and the American NMS version produced on the PQ46 platform, as well as the Chinese special version of Magotan and Passat on the MQB platform. . In the European market, the base camp, Passat will exist as Passat GTE model in the short term. Sales in the US market are also very dismal.

Only in the Chinese market does Passat have the possibility of continuing to survive. However, affected by the 2019 China Insurance Research Institute crash test, Passat's domestic image has plummeted. So in the long run, whether it is the overseas market or the domestic market, it is only a matter of time before Passat is banned. Combined with Volkswagen's electrification development strategy, it is not groundless to withdraw the Passat and replace it with the pure electric ID.VIZZION.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.