Volkswagen has hit the pause button on diesel-powered Passat production in its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant.
“As we are in the middle of the ramp up of production volume, it is no problem to adjust the mix to accomodate this change,” Volkswagen spokesman Scott Wilson said in an email exchange with Automotive News.
Even after Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal came to light, the automaker continued to build the 2015 model-year Passat TDI for the North American market. The Passat is among the five models included in Volkswagen’s so-called dieselgate scandal, which affects some 11 million cars worldwide and 485,000 in the U.S.
A specific date with regards to the Passat TDI’s production pause isn’t known, though Wilson believes it happened at some point in the past few weeks. He said “the few” models that were built following the breakout of the emissions scandal weren’t released to dealerships. The production pause, incidentally, doesn’t affect European models.
Last month, the Passat was refreshed for 2016 with minor cosmetic tweaks and equipped with new features – most notably the addition of a new infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Two gasoline engines are offered – a 1.8-litre turbo-four and a 3.6-litre V6.
