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Seeking to add some spice to its line-up, Volkswagen whipped the covers off its new Passat CC – the first in what the German car-maker’s US boss, Stefan Jacobi, described as "a range of image boosting niche market models due out by 2010".
The sleek new upmarket saloon sits on the same basic underpinnings as the standard Passat – complete with a transversely mounted engine and the choice of either front- or four-wheel drive, but receives its own unique body featuring four frameless doors, heav...Read the full article

How about some decent photos, Auto Express are way ahead of you!

I don't know how other countries view the Passat, but here in the UK my view of this car has always been one of a well built slightly upmarket reps car. Now I may be wrong with that view. However say I am right. The car therefore is not very spicy product, so for me trying to add a bit of spice into a range that does not represent this demographic.

Do manufacturers not look at others failings, I mean we are absolutely overrun with people driving 406/7 coupes!!!!!! I never see them.

I wish manufacturers would stop trying to mess with winning formula's. VW have other models within the group that chase the sexy image, don't mess.

Jon,

I agree with on this perception thing, sad isn't it? The Germans see certain Mercedes-Benz models as taxis, We see the Passat as a repmobile. People here will pay an extra £35k for a VW Phaeton because it carries a Bentley badge. What are the manufacturers to do? VW have totally changed our perception of a Skoda, may be this will work. Your comments on the 406/7 coupes are fair. The thread about Tata's new cheapo immediately got comments along the lines of "just wait for the Jaguar Nano". Let's face it we are a vain lot, who care more about our perceived place on the pecking order than the sense of what we buy!

I realise this makes me a complete dimwit but my first reaction on seeing 'CC' was to think eh? Passat coupe/cabrio, which is how CC has been used latterly. Surely confusion that this car is not going to need.  Its one of those 'answers to a question nobody asked' kind of cars. The Passat does not have a foundation image to expand on. There is no 'defining' Passat in the range. No halo car.  

Alastair Inglis:

There is no 'defining' Passat in the range. No halo car.  

What ever happened to the R36 passat? there were pics of it a while back

I'm getting a feeling of deja vu here.

HEADLINE:  VW takes on Mercedes with the new Phaeton

I seem to remember.

Why bother VW.  Stick to what you do well.  Let's face it you have Audi in the group as the provider of premium models, leave them to it!

Friggin thing should have looked like this in the first place.

The Passat Saloon is sooooooo boring!
 

jsfletcher61:

The Passat Saloon is sooooooo boring!
 

Try having to drive one daily! And one with the older 1.9 diesel in it...!

The Passat does not have a foundation image to expand on. There is no 'defining' Passat in the range. No halo car.  

 

But isn;t that the point? Is the CC (granted a confusing badge. may not make it to procduction?) not exactly the "defining" Passat? Not a repmobile, not a taxi, not a poor man's intro to BMW. And, no you are not a dimwit!