√2024 Volkswagen Passat to be wagon only, due this year beside new Skoda Superb

New generations of the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb are due for unveiling before the end of this year – but only the Skoda will be available in a body style that isn’t a wagon.

Volkswagen has confirmed expectations the 2024 Volkswagen Passat mid-size car will be offered exclusively as a wagon, when it is unveiled later this year alongside its new 2024 Skoda Superb liftback and wagon twin.

The sedan was dropped from the current Passat range in Europe at the end of 2021 – and in Australia for all but police fleets at a similar time – after the wagon accounted for as much as 80 per cent of the model mix in Australia.

Volkswagen passenger cars boss Thomas Schäfer reportedly confirmed the sedan’s axing to Automotive News Europe, and that deliveries of the new Passat are scheduled to start in Europe this September.

However, it is unclear if the new model will come to Australia.

“Yeah, there is a chance,” Volkswagen Australia head of product for passenger vehicles, Michelle Rowney told Drive late last year when asked if the new Passat may not come to Australia.

When asked if the new Passat might be offered only as a plug-in hybrid in Australia, the executive said: “It could be. It depends on whether we can get it approved.

“We’re still working on the business case, but we’re still working with the factory on whether we can actually bring it in, whether we can get into the project. There are a lot of different milestones that we still need to work through.”

MORE: Next-generation Volkswagen Passat may not come to Australia

Artist’s impression of the new Skoda Superb, created for Kolesa.ru.

The new Passat’s Skoda Superb twin – which will retain ‘liftback’ and wagon body styles, according to Mr Schäfer – is scheduled to be unveiled sometime afterwards, with deliveries expected to begin at the end of 2023, or in early 2024.

Plans for the future of the Skoda Superb in Australia are unclear, but if it is given the green light for local showrooms, it is not due until later in 2024 at the earliest.

Skoda has confirmed the new Superb will be available as a plug-in hybrid with up to 100km of electric driving range. It’s likely the Passat would adopt a version of the same system.

Volkswagen reported 759 Passats as sold in Australia last year, placing it ahead of the Hyundai Sonata, Peugeot 508 and Honda Accord – but behind the Skoda Octavia (963), Mazda 6 (1511) and top-selling Toyota Camry (9538) in the mid-size sedan category.

MORE: New Skoda Kodiaq, Superb due to be unveiled this year

Meanwhile, Skoda reported 655 Superbs as sold – placing it second in the large non-luxury car category, albeit in a class of three, ahead of the Citroen C5 X (61 sales, which arrived in October), but behind the Kia Stinger (2242).

The Passat and Superb form part of a decline in sales of passenger cars – as buyers move to SUVs – with sales down 69 per cent for the VW, and 33 per cent for the Skoda compared to 2017 results.

Figures from Dataforce published by Automotive News Europe show the Volkswagen Passat was Europe’s best-selling “mid-size” car with 66,621 sales – albeit down 20 per cent on 2021 – while the Superb was second, with 45,042 sales.

Automotive News Europe reports development of both vehicles has been led by Skoda, and they will be built alongside each other in the Volkswagen Group’s factory in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Every Volkswagen Passat since the original in 1973 has been manufactured in Emden, Germany, though this factory is being converted to produce electric cars – including the upcoming ID.7 electric sedan.

Meanwhile, the current Superb is built in Kvasiny, Czech Republic. The move will free up production capacity for Skoda’s stronger-selling SUVs, including the large Kodiaq, which is due to receive a new generation later this year.

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