2011 Volkswagen Passat unveiled; photos and India launch details

Volkswagen has taken the wraps off the 2011 Passat luxury sedan at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The much awaited upgrade to the current model, though a mere facelift, has been christened as the ‘7th Generation’ model of the Passat by the reluctant blokes at Volkswagen. The facelift model, as expected, gets a sharper design treatment in line with the rest of its Scirocco-inspired models like the new Jetta, Vento, Polo etc. The new Passat gets a new grille upfront with loads of chrome garnish and the complementing headlights add to the bling factor with medium dose of daytime running LED lights on the outer corners. The taillights too get the LED treatment and an angular design as opposed to the current model’s round lights, to gel with the sharper lines of the new Passat.

The new interiors borrow design cues and gadgets from the VW Phaeton and hence they incorporate new trim options, new dials and an analogue clock to add a classy touch. Safety system upgrades include an auto-brake system as a part of the car’s Automatic Distance Control system. The system claims to automatically apply brakes at speeds of less than 28 km/h in case the car detects a chance of an accident due to negligence on the driver’s or pedestrian’s part. Similarly the system can also auto-accelerate in case it senses the chance of a rear-end collision and after it ensures that there is enough room in front.