Volkswagen Passat Wagon for U.S Market is a No Go

With plans for the Volkswagen Group to become the world's largest automaker, the VW division has been repositioned lately. New models like the Jetta and Passat are positioned at the thick of the automotive market.

That means mainstream in every respect, avoiding any pretense of a premium product that was VW's previous focus. Some say this makes sense and is a return to roots of sorts - VW is the people's car after all, right?

It seems to be working too, as VW sales are up significantly thanks to the new Jetta. They should get an even further boost once the new Passat arrives in full force at dealers in the United States.

In Europe, VW isn't quite abandoning its premium positioning altogether - cars there have some features ours that ours lack. Overseas, the previous generation Passat is still being sold, albeit a refreshed one.

Given wagons (estates) feature so strongly, it is a no brainer that the Passat has continued with that variant for Europe. But what about one for the U.S? According to Car & Driverthat has been ruled out, given lackluster sales of the previous generation model. The business case just doesn't make sense, and VW is all about volume.

Given the fact that there is two different Passat models out there in the world right now, a wagon would have to be specifically developed for the U.S market. What is being developed for the U.S however is a three-row crossover. Europe land of the estates - U.S land of the SUV/Crossover? Pretty much.