Volkswagen Passat News

Saying utes and SUVs are popular isn't a cutting insight on the Australian automotive landscape.

Yet another sedan has been discontinued in Australia, leaving buyers with fewer booted options to choose from.Volkswagen Australia has dropped the Passat sedan from its line-up, but it will continue to sell the Passat wagon range, offering buyers an alter

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

The latest COVID-19 outbreak has sent Australian cities into lockdown, but you can still buy a new car. And not only that, there’s stock at dealerships now, which means you don’t have to wait. CarsGuide has done the digging here again, to track down where to buy cars without waiting, and we’ll tell you how to buy them during a lockdown, too.

You’ve probably heard that customers are waiting months for their cars to arrive after they’ve bought them due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, but CarsGuide has tracked down dealerships in Sydney and Melbourne where you can buy a new car and drive it away with waiting. That’s right, even during a lockdown, Sydneysiders.

Volkswagen has shared details on its range of emergency services vehicles recently updated in line with the consumer-grade MY21 versions of the Passat car and Tiguan SUV.VW Australia confirmed the pair of models will continue to be available in a ‘Proline’ grade unavailable to the public, which pairs more powerful engine choices with a list of special equipment to suit emergency services.In the case of the Passat, emergency responders can select either a sedan, wagon, or lifted Alltrack with the 140TSI (140kW/320Nm) or 162TSI (162kW/350Nm) engine, complete with dual-battery support and a 180-amp heavy-duty alternator for onboard equipment, sports suspension and progressive steering from the R-Line, and a more basic trim level which swaps the more luxurious appointments for occupational health and safety approved cloth seats with lumbar support.Meanwhile, highway patrol spec cars can make use of the halo 206kW/350Nm engine with all-wheel drive otherwise only equipped on the top-spec R-Line wagon. The options list for these specially equipped vehicles is said to include weapons racks, radio systems and first aid packs.CarsGuide understands that while there are similar ‘Proline’ variants available in overseas markets, the ones received in Australia are uniquely specified. VW covers these factory-provided changes with the standard warranty.For reference, when the NSW highway patrol asked for cloth seats in their fleet of diesel BMW 5 Series sedans, they were told the assembly line which constructs them could not be configured to build them without leather trim. Meanwhile, The Hyundai Sonata sedans used as general duties cars are more similar to the VWs, a unique trim level sporting the more powerful engines with more basic interiors.VW tells us over 550 Passat Proline variants have been delivered to the police fleets of Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, and Western Australia, where they are used both as general duties vehicles and highway patrol since the launch of the special variant in 2019.VW's Tiguan is also available as a Proline, but only in its extended Allspace guise. Interestingly, VW removes the third row of seats from the factory in order to give emergency services a larger boot capacity, as well as trimming 60kg of weight which can then be used for onboard equipment.The Tiguan Allspace Proline’s special equipment includes the normally limited-edition “off-road pack”, which includes redesigned bumpers for better approach and departure angles with underbody protection. It also includes the heavy-duty alternator and is specified as the base Comfortline grade. Despite this, it swaps out the 132TSI engine for the more powerful 162TSI to offer emergency services more power with more basic trim.VW says roughly 50 Allspace Prolines are currently on fleets around Australia, being used as a “sprint unit” ambulance in South Australia, and either as a general duties or highway patrol police car in SA, Victoria, and WA. VW has a view to expand where it can, telling us the program has been a success so far and it is “in talks with interested parties” in other states for the Passat and Tiguan pair.Fleet operators will be able to order the updated MY22 version of the Mexico-sourced Allspace due soon from launch.

Volkswagen has warned of delays for some of its most popular models as the impact of the global semi-conductor shortage continues to hit at production volumes for most car manufacturers.It said it wanted to make customers aware of the potential delays and

Volkswagen has expressed excitement about this week’s announcement by the federal government that it intended to upgrade Australia’s remaining two fuel refineries to produce higher quality fuels as this “opens the door” for its expansive range of internationally-available “real hybrids.”

Have you ever wondered what goes into making a car a modern police car?Aside from the obvious lights and sirens, what needs to be changed or beefed up to cope with a life of crime busting?The loss of our home-grown car-makers has forced Aussie police forc

Despite reports of its demise, the Passat will receive substantial updates for the 2021 model year.