A special 1973 edition to commemorate the death of the Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen completely turned to the production of electric vehicles, which led to a massive restructuring of its assembly lines. The factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will also receive new products to start production of the ID.4 on our continent. This change of course, however, has an effect on some of the other vehicles produced at this plant, including the Passat. Its production will cease in 2022.
None of this is surprising, however, because Volkswagen had announced that as of 2023, the Passat would be withdrawn from the North American market in order to make room for SUVs and electric models.
Long among the top-selling midsize sedans in North America, the Passat, like almost all cars in its class, has suffered a significant drop in sales in recent years. Although the manufacturer managed to market more than 130,000 Passats in Canada and the United States in 2012, just over 25,000 copies were sold in 2020.
To honor his departure, the Chattanooga plant has decided to have fun by producing 1973 copies of a special limited edition that will be called … 1973. This figure honors the year the Passat was introduced to American soil ( which was called the Volkswagen Dasher at the time).
Remember that this sedan was only introduced to the Canadian market in the early 1990s (also briefly marketed under the name Dasher between 1975 and 1977). This explains why the 1973 edition will not be sold with us.
All 1973 Limited Edition Passats will come with an embroidered seat label with “1 of 1973” (one of 1973) inscribed on it. On the other side of this label, we see “VW Chattanooga Since 2011” in reference to the production plant of the current Passat.
Four body colors with a unique interior layout will also be offered for this edition of the Passat. The first 411 copies will be painted in Aurora chroma red, with Titan black leather interior. The number 411 refers to the production number of the latest generation Passat.
The other 423 copies – in reference to the Chattanooga area code – will be dressed in racing green metallic, which was only offered on the side of theAtlas (and the old Passat B5). This color is coordinated with the Mauro brown of the interior. Next come the 524 Passats (referring to the May 24, 2011 opening date of the Chattanooga plant) painted in pure white also with Mauro brown interior. The remaining 615 copies will come in Platinum Gray with a Titan Black interior.
This last number obviously also has a meaning. According to Volkswagen, it would refer to six generations of the Passat in the United States, including an assembly in Chattanooga and five decades of Passats sold in our territory.
With the withdrawal of the Passat and theArteon Volkswagen can now make more room for its family of ID electric vehicles in North America, including the compact SUV ID.4. It is expected to be marketed with us towards the end of the summer.
