LA show: VW takes the Passat out of Passat CC

VOLKSWAGEN has discarded the ‘Passat’ moniker from its CC four-seat coupe as part of a mid-life facelift that sees the car move further upmarket.

The German brand’s refreshed medium-size luxury contender made its debut yesterday at the LA Auto Show with more conservative front and rear styling and an array of new driver-assist technology.

The revised naming should help differentiate the car from its more humble Passat five-seat sedan and wagon siblings when its worldwide launch kicks off from February next year.

Volkswagen Australia general manager of press and public relations Karl Gehling told GoAuto the CC will go on sale locally by the end of 2012.

As we reported earlier this month, the facelifted model receives a redesigned nose and tail that aligns it more closely with the rest of the Volkswagen range.

The German marque has ditched the current model’s teardrop headlights in favour of the sharper design found on the revised Passat, Eos and Tiguan.

The new lights are complemented by a much bolder three-bar chrome grille and a larger, more angular front bumper and fog light design than the current model.

Matching the new nose is more square-edged rear-end styling that incorporates LED tail-lights, mirroring those of the Passat sedan introduced to Australia earlier this year.

The CC is said to be the first Volkswagen to package Side Assist Plus with Lane Assist, which together warn of vehicles in the car’s blind spots and can intervene with steering if it detects an imminent collision.

Also new are a Fatigue Detection system that monitors the driver’s steering behaviour and sends out a warning at signs of tiredness, Dynamic Light Assist automatic high-beam glare control, and a camera-based traffic sign detection system.

Available as an option will be a proximity sensor in the boot that allows it to be opened wirelessly with a kicking leg motion (providing the person is in possession of the key), as well as a towbar that extends and retracts electronically with the push of a button.

Certain variants will also come with ‘climate seats’ that feature an integrated massage function.

It is unclear which of these features will be offered on local examples when the car arrives in this market next year.

The CC gets a bigger list of standard features in overseas markets – including bi-Xenon headlights with static cornering function and a touch-screen sound system – but these are already standard on the highly-specified current model sold in Australia.

The CC’s engine line-up is unchanged, with a selection of four-cylinder diesels (with idle-stop) and four- and six-cylinder petrol units.

Volkswagen currently offers the sleek executive car in Australia as either a front-drive 2.0-litre turbo-diesel or in flagship 3.6-litre V6 petrol with 4MOTION all wheel-drive guise, both linked to the brand’s DSG dual-clutch transmission.

Passat CC sales in Australia are down 35.3 per cent to the end of October, despite a mid-year upgrade that included second-generation Park Assist, idle-stop, regenerative braking and minor interior additions like new trim and a dash-mounted analogue clock.

Just 522 examples of the car were sold (against 807 for the same period last year), giving it a 3.6 per cent share of the over-$60k medium segment.