On April 20th 2009, the opening day of the Auto Shanghai 2009, Volkswagen along with its two joint ventures Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, unveiled a new locally produced car, the Passat New Lingyu, in a large booth illustrating the essence of Volkswagen's brand claim "Das Auto".
Designed for the Chinese buyer
The Passat New Lingyu is a new flagship sedan which has retained styling cues of previous Passat series. With a very long wheelbase (2803mm), it offers a spacious interior space. It is well appointed and particularely roomy in the area of the rear seats, to fit the needs of Chinese consumers.
This new luxury sedan designed specifically for the Chinese market also features improvements in both engine power and fuel economy. Taking from the previous 1.8T model, engine output was increased from 147 to 160hp, the equivalent of the power output of a conventional 2.4L engine.
At the same time, it also has markedly improved fuel economy. Fuel consumption was reduced from 7.3L to 6.2L/100km for the automatic transmission model, down by 15% and from 7.1L to 6.3L/100km for the manual transmission model, down by around 11%.
VW, by far the most popular
This car was designed to complement China's most popular brand's already large product portfolio. In that country, Volkswagen outsells its closest competitor, Toyota, almost 2 to 1.
In 2007, according to figures published by the Swiss Automobil Revue, Volkswagen sold 817,457 cars followed by Toyota (454,755), Honda (420,409), Chery (382,388) and Buick (329,261).
photo:Volkswagen
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| Unveiling of the 2010 Volkswagen Passat Lingyu at Auto Shanghai 2009. From left to right: Dr. Winfried Vahland, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, Liu Jian, Managing Director Shanghai Volkswagen, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, and Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Brand, with responsibility for 'Development'. |
Designed for the Chinese buyer
The Passat New Lingyu is a new flagship sedan which has retained styling cues of previous Passat series. With a very long wheelbase (2803mm), it offers a spacious interior space. It is well appointed and particularely roomy in the area of the rear seats, to fit the needs of Chinese consumers.
This new luxury sedan designed specifically for the Chinese market also features improvements in both engine power and fuel economy. Taking from the previous 1.8T model, engine output was increased from 147 to 160hp, the equivalent of the power output of a conventional 2.4L engine.
At the same time, it also has markedly improved fuel economy. Fuel consumption was reduced from 7.3L to 6.2L/100km for the automatic transmission model, down by 15% and from 7.1L to 6.3L/100km for the manual transmission model, down by around 11%.
VW, by far the most popular
This car was designed to complement China's most popular brand's already large product portfolio. In that country, Volkswagen outsells its closest competitor, Toyota, almost 2 to 1.
In 2007, according to figures published by the Swiss Automobil Revue, Volkswagen sold 817,457 cars followed by Toyota (454,755), Honda (420,409), Chery (382,388) and Buick (329,261).
photo:Volkswagen
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