In brief 3 A class of its own The Volkswagen Passat is a global bestseller. To date, more than 34 million units have been delivered to almost every country in the world. An ongoing success – even five decades after its debut, the Passat is currently one of the three best-selling Volkswagen internationally alongside the Tiguan and Polo (with their derivatives). In Europe, it has always been a steady longterm seller, especially as Variant. Since 2022, Volkswagen has therefore exclusively offered the Passat as an estate version between the North Cape and Gibraltar. And with resounding success. In Germany, for example, the Passat Variant topped the rankings in the mid-size class in 2023, with 45,494 new registrations. The secret to its success is the fact that the Passat Variant is two cars in one – a business class vehicle and a family allrounder at the same time. Now, a brand-new Passat Variant is being launched that has been developed from scratch. And this time, it is breaking down class boundaries. Even though the Passat Variant – now in its ninth generation – is priced (from 39,995 euros1) in the mid-size class, its new size, new quality standard and new innovative power mean it can cater to a higher segment. More than 34 million customers worldwide have chosen a Passat. In brief 4 New status quo Details that redefine the technical status quo for the Passat segment include a completely new cockpit landscape with an intuitively operated infotainment system, new ergo- Active seats2 with a pneumatic 10-chamber pressure point massage function, strikingly high-quality interior materials and surfaces, next-generation Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC Pro2), new IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights2 with an extremely powerful main beam, the next evolutionary stage of Volkswagen plug-in hybrid drives (approx.