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2012 Volkswagen Passat priced at $20,765

The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat, looking to be a big player in the highly competitive midsize segment and the first car to be built at a new Chattanooga, Tenn., assembly plant, will come to market this fall with a base sticker price of $19,995, plus $770 destination charge. The 2012 Passat will be sold with three powertrains and a variety of equipment levels. “The 2012 Passat is a true Volkswagen, offering German engineering, class-leading standard features and superior fuel economy, all for a remarkable value,” said Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

New Land Rover Freelander will actually be a Discovery

It seems – as we expected – that Land Rover are looking to make more sense of their range of off-roaders as new models are launched, and are going to concentrate on three core brands – Range Rover, Discovery and Defender – instead of the current mish-mash where many models really overlap with others (the top end Discoverys are really a cheaper Range Rover). So the next Freelander will become an entry-level Discovery with underpinnings borrowed from the Evoque (which is itself based on the current Freelander platform, a development of the Ford Galaxy’s platform), and arrive in both 5-seat and 7-seat guise, with the new Discovery ’5′ getting a platform based on the new Range Rover and perhaps spawning two models. The new Discovery range will be targeted as a ‘Lifestyle’ core range for Land Rover (much as the original Disco was) and the Range Rover range will be both sporty and luxurious, with a 7-seat Grand Evoque XL joining the current Evoque, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

Toyota Verso gets updated for 2014

Toyota Verso gets updated for 2014 We already knew the Toyota Verso MPV would be getting the option of a BMW diesel engine for 2014, but Toyota have a number of upgrades for the Verso to go along with the new engine. There’s a new trim level on offer – the Verso Trend – that slots in-between the Icon and Excel Versos – which gets a black C-Pillar decal to give the illusion of a floating roof, a bit like the Verso. Other additions for the Trend include a set of five-spoke alloys, front fogs and privacy glass with Toyota Touch 2 with Go adding in SatNav, connected services, Google Street View and TomTom Traffic info, front parking sensors and a rear view camera (part of the Touch 2 Package) to make parking easier.