Volkswagen’s U.S. division has announced its plans of bringing a more powerful version of the popular Passat to next week’s 2013 Detroit Motor Show. It’s known as the Performance Concept and previews an upcoming sportier variant of the mid-size sedan. At its heart beats a 1.8-liter turbo EA888 direct-injected, four-cylinder TSI engine capable of outputting 247 hp (184 kW). This power unit is already available in select markets in Europe and Asia. In this concept, the TSI unit will be connected to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Also part of the package is an electro-mechanical steering and a lowered sports suspension to make the handling feel more agile.
It’s somewhat disappointing to see that not any significant performance-oriented styling changes have been made to the exterior of the car as this Passat Performance Concept looks almost the same as the stock model. It rides on a bland set of 19-inch alloy wheels and adopts a dual exhaust setup, as well as bi-xenon headlamps with AFS – Advanced Front Lightning System, while at the back there are LED taillights. Other than that, it also sports carbon inserts on the mirror caps.
Although there aren’t any photos of the interior cabin, VW says it has carbon-like touches on the dashboard, two-tone leather seating surfaces, black side pillars and headliner, along with other carbon-style inserts.
Source: Volkswagen via Carscoop
