Volkswagen has brought its 1.4-litre petrol engine to the North America-spec version of its Passat saloon.
The VW Passat BlueMotion Concept will appear at the Detroit motor show next week. There’s no word on whether or not it will make production, with VW likely to be using the car’s appearance at the show to test US buyer reactions to such a large saloon car with a smaller engine than market tradition dictates.
The concept uses the EA211 direct-injection four-cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation and stop-start, and it is hooked up to a DSG automatic transmission.
The 148bhp, 184lb ft unit returns a best-in-class 42mpg on the US cycle, equivalent to 50.4mpg in the UK.
A Reef Blue Metallic colour used on the Passat BlueMotion Concept is also set to be rolled out across the rest of the US-spec Passat range.