Set to make its world debut at the upcoming 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, the 2013 Volkswagen Passat packs some select visual scrub ups to bring it up to date with the German brand's more recent offerings.
You can spot the new model by the redesigned front that gets a new chrome-trimmed grille, reshaped headlamps that incorporate a ring of LEDs and a reworked bumper.
Similar changes can be found at the back with the new LED tail lamp, bumper and boot lid designs. A fresh choice of colors and alloy wheel options round off the exterior updates.
Inside, VW's designers tinkered around with the air-conditioning controls and trim options while the company says it has improved the standard features across the range with the addition of a fatigue detection system, new audio, stainless steel door sills and safety head restraints with additional longitudinal adjustment for the front seats.
For the 2013 model year, there is also a new batch of available assistance systems such as the Side Assist Plus with integrated Lane Assist that warns of vehicles in blind spots and assists driver in avoiding an accident by steering intervention, Dynamic Light Assist and a camera-based traffic sign detection system.
In the USA, the CC will launch with the same engine lineup as before, including a 200HP 2.0-liter TSI petrol and a 280HP 3.6-liter V FSI petrols (FSI).
There are no changes to the European lineup either, with the CC being offered with several TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines ranging in output from 140HP to 300HP. The most fuel-efficient version is powered by the 140HP 2.0 TDI that delivers a combined fuel consumption of 4.7lt/100km (equal to 50mpg US).
The refreshed Volkswagen CC will first launch in Germany in February 2012, then gradually across Europe, America, Russia, China (local version starting in 2013) and other sales regions.
If a VW Camper sounds spacious to you, try to imagine what it must have felt like for the 86 students of the Institute of Technology in Carlow, Ireland, than were cramped inside on April 23, 2009, or the 27 Penn State students that set a new Guinness World Record by squeezing themselves in a New Beetle.
These records inspired the crew over at VW Communications to find out how many people could fit in the 3.5 m-long Up! city car.
After much twisting, turning, and many cries, they shut all doors and windows and started to count: one person on the dashboard, two in the boot, four on the front seats, seven on the rear bench and two unlucky chaps in the footwells.
Add them up and the score is 16 people including 15 women and one –presumably lucky- chap. No need to look it up in the Guinness World of Records, though, as this was an unofficial record.
"We are very pleased with the development of the Group. Delivering six million vehicles in nine months represents a key milestone on the way to reaching our annual target of eight million vehicles sold in 2011," said Group Board member for Sales Christian Klingler.
"We are also expecting very good delivery figures for the fourth quarter. We continue to keep a close eye on developments in global automobile markets, some of which are highly volatile," Klingler added.
Regionally, the VW Group saw its sales increase in January to September 2011 by 17.3 percent to 1.92 million in the Asia / Pacific markets; by 21.4% to 485,400 units in North America; by 9.5% to 700,900 vehicles in South America and by 10.8% to 2.77 million units in Europe.
In its home market of Germany, the VW Group's deliveries grew by 12.3 percent to 864,400 units.
Overall, the Volkswagen brand sold 3.81 million (+12.3 percent) vehicles in the period to September; Audi delivered 973,200 units (+17.4 percent); Skoda 664,800 vehicles (+16.8 percent); SEAT 266,800 units (+3.1 percent) and VW Commercial 389,900 vehicles (+25.5 percent).
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