‘No plans’ for performance VW Passat

A SENIOR engineer who worked on Volkswagen’s new B8 Passat project claims that that there are no plans to produce a high-performance version of VW’s latest mid-sized car.

Speaking through an interpreter, technical project manager for Passat Heiko Nause told Australian journalists that while the idea for a top-end Passat had been discussed, no plans were in place.

“Many people are talking about it, but they are not planning it,” he said.

“It’s more about having a sufficiently strong engine in the car. That’s one of the problems. Ten years ago, people said 130hp (90kW) was good. Now we have 240hp (176kW) or more as standard.” Presently, the most highly powered Passat is the GTD, which uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel, producing 176kW and 500Nm.

Mr Nause denied that a performance version of the diesel GTD might be on the cards.

“The engineers are always trying to come up with better solutions, this is what they are working. But you can never tell the future,” he said.

“We can’t give you any information, because there is no plan in this direction or the other. Just to give you the answer again, there is no plan for anything specific.” The B6 Passat spawned a high-performance version called the R36, which was sold in Australia from 2008 to 2011. Powered by a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine, it made 220kW and 350Nm.

The same engine topped the output charts in the B7 range, but under the guise of the more pedestrian 220FSI.

Mr Nause admitted that as an engineer, he would love to see a return of a high-performance Passat.

“We would love to personally I’m all for it,” he said. “We cannot stand still with development, we just keep moving forward, and move into the future.” The B8 Passat debuts in Australia next month. Currently in run-out mode, the B7 Passat has slipped 25 per cent year on year in sales, posting 1471 for the year to date.