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We now know that we'll be seeing the new generation Volkswagen Passat B8 launched in Malaysia sometime in Q1 next year, but this is the first time other than the Das Auto event last year that we're seeing the car on Malaysian roads.

These spyshots were posted by Daniel Liang in the VW Jetta Club Malaysia Facebook group sometime late yesterday. This black example was wearing Pahang trade plates, which makes sense as Volkswagen's assembly line is there in DRB-Hicom's Pekan plant.

The new Passat B8 sits on the new MQB platform. Wheelbase has been stretched to 2,791 mm. Occupants get to enjoy more leg- and headroom. Boot space is up as well to 586 litres, a 21 litre increment. Overall, the car is 2 mm shorter in terms of length, but 12 mm wider and sits 14 mm lower.

Five TSI petrol engines feature outputs ranging from 132 PS all the way up to 280 PS, while three TDI diesel engines produce between 150 PS and 240 PS.

A plug-in hybrid variant will also be on offer, combining a 156 PS 1.4 TSI engine and a 109 PS electric motor to produce 211 PS, a 0-100 km/h time of under eight seconds, a 210 km/h top speed, a 50 km all-electric range and a total range of over 1,000 km.

The new Passat can be specced pretty high, but a lot of the new equipment available is optional so it depends on Volkswagen Malaysia's product and price positioning. It even has the option for a fully digital display that can show info like navigation maps just like the new Audi TT.

Read our previous story for more details.