2012 Volkswagen Passat Sedan Car Caught Testing

Volkswagen seems to be heading the Porsche way. By the looks of it, it appears as if VW is styling all their cars to look exactly like each other. What you see here are pictures of the prototype version of the new VW Passat, meant to adorn roads in 2012 after debuting in late 2011. The car seems to be having a longer and wider platform and will definitely be larger than the present version.

Through this update, VW is aiming to position the car in the same breath as the Merc C-class, the Beemer 3-series and the Audi A4. Under the hood, the current 3.6-liter engine will be replaced by a 3.0-litre, 300 bhp, direct injection heart. It is rumored that there will also be a hybrid version of the same.

Pegging against competition like the 3-series isn’t going to be an easy task and hence, VW is pulling all the stops in making this an out-and-out techno marvel on wheels bespoke of the latest luxury cars. A few gadgets include wiperless window cleaning mechanism (don’t ask), advanced user interface, and electronic stability control.

An estate version of the Passat will follow a year after the launch of the Passat and soon after, there will the launch of a performance version that replaces the current R36.

Image Courtesy: MotorAuthority.com