VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting.

In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg. The inclusion of stop-start is no surprise. Given that VW's already using what it calls “Active Cylinder Management Technology (ACT)” on European Golfs and Polos, and taking into account the respectable power and efficiency numbers the little gasoline engine's capable of, we won't be surprised if the Passat BlueMotion sees the road in something other than gussied-up concept form. Everything required to put the car into production is already on the shelf in Wolfsburg. With the looming threat of tightening CAFE regulations, we wouldn't be surprised to see it in showrooms within a year or two.

By Davey G. Johnson