More Daring Styling For New SUVs, 2016 U.S. Passat

Faced with diminishing interest in its core Jetta and Passat models in the States, Volkswagen will push a less conservative design theme when for the US-built 2016 Passat this year, and the upcoming crossovers it has in the pipeline.

Automotive News got a look inside VW's Valhalla design studio and an interview with Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff. Key products include the revised Passat due this year, and the 2017 Tiguan built in Mexico and three-row crossover built alongside the Passat in Tennessee.

The current Passat NMS, introduced in 2011, is in the midst of a pretty steep sales slide – off 12 percent in 2014. But visible changes are coming, according to AN: 

The freshened Passat is also a substantial change from the model on sale now, with all-new sheet metal from the A-pillar forward, including a new hood, fenders, grille design and headlights. Taillights are also new.

More important, however, will be the crossovers. The still-nameless three-row is said to borrow heavily from theCross Coupe GTE concept shown in January at the Detroit Auto Show. 

Detail work such as intricate headlights that integrate structural elements that begin from the grille, and metal side vents below the A-pillars, are almost Audi-like in their execution. "This has to be bold. It has to be a statement," Bischoff said.

As for the Tiguan, expect to like it if you were a fan of the current car 2014's T-Roc Concept. 

The redesigned Tiguan on display at Valhalla retains the overall proportions of its predecessor but with updated lines, plus shorter front and longer rear overhangs. Wheel arches are rounded compared with the hard angles seen on the midsize crossover, but some themes are shared, including wraparound taillight designs and grille execution.

I've been a fan of VW's clean-cut lines when they were sharp. Lately, though, their cars are blending in a bit too much and not looking that different from their predecessors (looking at you, Golf Mk 7). But if the sharp and classy concepts are anything to go by, the company is taking the right steps to get noticed.

2016 VW Passat Renderings courtesy of RM Design