Auto News 5

Tired of trying to sell German cars to Americans, Volkswagen gave up on that idea with the latest Passat and instead gave us what it thought we'd want: a truly American car. Introduced as a 2012 model, the all-new Passat broke with the popular European version (which is as ubiquitous on the roads of its home country as the Toyota Camry is here). Designed specifically for the U.S.A., the new American Passat is -- predictably -- larger: 4.0 inches longer and half an inch wider than the previous model, with a 3.7-inch greater span between the axles. Not only is the Passat designed for America, it's also built here, at VW's brand-new factory in Tennessee. That helped bring about the Passat's most important change -- a massive price cut of almost $7000 for the base model.