Passat CC Awarded for its Outstanding Design

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – June 3, 2009: Volkswagen’s recently released Passat CC was recognised with a Design Award for its innovation and design excellence at the 2009 Australian International Design Awards.

The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, is recognised by the Commonwealth Government and the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design as the peak promotional body for the Australian design industry, and for its important role in fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia.

The Volkswagen Passat CC was awarded for ‘Best Exterior Design’, which is both distinctive and sophisticated. The front end of the Passat CC shows another facet of the Volkswagen brand’s face. More dominant than on any other Volkswagen, the radiator grille with its two cross-struts and centrally placed VW logo spans the area between the headlamps. An indicator of the Passat CC’s excellent overall aerodynamic qualities is its drag coefficient of cw 0.29.

Especially distinctive are the flowing lines of the car’s side profile. The roof sweeps toward the rear with a very flat curve radius, from the A pillars to far beyond the C pillars. The lines of the trunk region even extend into the rear window, as if drawn with a single line. The rear end of the Passat CC has an unmistakable visual image, day and night, thanks to its large-format dual taillights. A rear spoiler – integrated into the modulation of the boot lid – tames air turbulence and, like its counterpart at the front end, generates greater downforce. The large rear window visually extends far into the short but high-opening tailgate. It is a continuation of the coupé’s roof line.

The Passat CC is a pure four-seater. The coupé philosophy is reflected in the interior with this its front and rear ergonomically designed sport seats.

In a first for Volkswagen, the Passat CC comes standard with so-called self-sealing tyres. The highly flexible rubber mixture inside the tyre encloses foreign bodies, such as a screw or nail, that puncture the tyre and reliably seals the tyre. Even when the foreign body is removed the tyre will remain sealed thanks to the highly viscous polymer coating inside the tyre.

A division of Standard Australia, the 2009 Australian International Design Awards (Australia’s longest standing product design awards program) were announced at a gala dinner event in Melbourne.