Volkswagen has yet to announce the location of its new U.S. production facility, but the latest reports indicate the German automaker is already planning to produce the next-generation Passat at its U.S. plant. In addition, VW is reportedly considering U.S. Jetta production.
The new plant is intended to help VW reach its goal of selling 1 million vehicles in the U.S. by 2018, and producing popular models like the Passat and Jetta would seem to be a logical step towards achieving that goal.
However, both vehicles will likely take on a new form when built in the U.S. VW is planning to make the next-generation Passat bigger – to take on mid-size heavyweights such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord – but will also drop its price from about $25,000 to about $20,000 – closer to the segment norm.
Conversely, the next Jetta will likely shrink a bit to better size up with vehicles like the Honda Civic. Like the Passat, the next Jetta will also see a reduction in price to bring it in line with the rest of the segment.
Automotive News also speculates that VW is considering producing a new SUV in the U.S. The new ute would slot between the Tiguan and Touareg, and could be the rumored long-wheelbase version of the Tiguan.
VW is expected to announce the location of its U.S. plant sometime tomorrow.
