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VW Passat leaked


Photos of the next VW Passat have leaked, giving us clear angles on the changes to expect for styling and trim when the car is officially revealed later this year at October's Paris motor show.

The images come via a Chinese internet site, and while poorly etched and somewhat fuzzy still offer a good look at what's been under the camouflage of the vehicles snapped by spy photographers during testing.

The car shown is the Magotan version of the Passat for the Chinese market, a model that gets an extra 10cm stretch for the wheelbase but otherwise pretty much reflects what we'll see here.

The Passat's styling remains restrained and conservative, with an unfussy front fascia but in this iteration quite a bit of chrome around the grille area. LED daytime running lights and a strong character line for the shoulder should give it some road presence.

There are some strong hints of VW Group styling with Audi influence for the taillights, while the boot lip spoiler sculpting and the dual exhausts integrated neatly into the bumper give the rear some visual interest.

No indications yet of the engine line-up, but with the Passat to be based on VW's flexible -- and almost ubiquitous -- MQB platform (which can take virtually any likely engine in the Group stable) the possibilities are myriad.

However the local line-up is unlikely to stray far from the current mix, which kicks off with a 118kW/250NM four-cylinder 1.8-litre turbo petrol, followed by a 130kW/380Nm four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbodiesel and topped by a 220kW/350Nm 3.6-litre petrol V6.

The big changes you can look for are probably going to be in the safety and features areas, where VW continues to roll up improving technology.