Passat

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
Sedan

There are two car shows we've been gearing up for these past few weeks. One is the Tokyo Auto Salon that showcases a variety of tuner cars. The other is the Detroit Auto Show which deals more with production cars. But while this latest announcement is a tuner car, not a design study or new production vehicle, it's bound for Detroit. That's principally because this is a North American car, tuned by Volkswagen to demonstrate what's possible with its US-built Passat sedan.

Called the Passat Performance Concept, it includes a number of modest visual and mechanical enhancements. Under the hood, Volkswagen has shoehorned in its latest 1.8-liter turbocharged, direct-injection four, tuned to deliver 247 horsepower through a six-speed automatic transmission. It also has a lowered suspension, fitted to 19-inch wheels, and a new electro-mechanical steering rack. Dual exhaust tips, bi-xenon headlamps, LED taillights and carbon-fiber trim inside and out complete the subtle modifications, along with two-tone leather interior.