Volkswagen just revealed its Passat BlueMotion concept bound for its debut in Detroit next week.
The announcement follows VW’s earlier revelation that the 2015 Golf R will be sold in the U.S. after debuting in Detroit. Based on the U.S. market Passat, the car uses a 1.4-liter turbocharged diesel four-cylinder engine capable of 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. That’s a slight bump in horsepower and a 52 lb-ft torque downgrade signaling a greater focus on fuel economy by the brand.
By shutting down two of its cylinders when they aren’t needed – the same cylinder deactivation found on the Polo and Golf sold in Europe – VW estimates the car will be able to offer up to 42 mpg on the highway.
That engine is mated to a dual-clutch transmission that decouples from the engine to minimize parasitic drag as soon as the driver’s foot lifts from the gas pedal. If that sounds familiar, it’s because VW uses the same technology on the Jetta Hybrid. There’s also an engine start-stop system to further reduce fuel consumption when the car isn’t moving.
A diesel-powered mid-size sedan for Volkswagen is nothing new. The company already sells a diesel Passat with a 2.0-liter powerplant mated to either a six-speed manual or dual-clutch with as many gears. The concept revealed today offers an improved highway fuel economy rating over the current dual clutch model, but not the manual that still claims one more highway mile per gallon. The city fuel economy figure will also probably see an increase based on weight savings from the smaller engine alone. The current manual transmission model offers 31 mpg in the city or 30 for the dual clutch.
GALLERY: Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion Concept
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