North America
In North America, the car was called the Volkswagen Dasher. The two- and four-door fastback sedans and a station wagon model were launched in North America for and during the 1974 model year. The sole available engine was a carburetted 1.5 L inline-four developing 75 hp, down to 71 hp in 1975. For model year 1976 this was replaced by a Bosch fuel-injected 1.6 L four with 79 hp, while the two-door sedan received the lifting tailgate always promised by its design. For 1977, power dropped by one horsepower, while Californian market cars were equipped with a catalytic converter and power was further down, to 76 hp. North American cars were equipped with single DOT standard headlights.
In 1978 the Dasher received a facelift along the lines of the European Passat, with quad sealed beam headlights and big polyurethane covered bumpers. The trim was also upgraded and the ride softened. Various special editions were produced; the 1978 Champagne Edition II introduced the four-door hatchback bodywork for the first time.[7] This replaced the four-door sedan entirely for 1979, which also saw the introduction of the 1.5 L diesel engine, which produced a mere 48 hp in a 2500 lb car. This version was not available as an Audi.[8] 0–100 km/h time for the Diesel was 19.4 seconds, 6.2 seconds slower than the gasoline (petrol) engine. All gasoline engines were dropped for North America in 1981 in preparation for the next generation, while the diesel increased in size to 1.6 liters.[9]
Australia
In Australia, the Passat was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year in 1974 and the car was assembled locally (CKD) from 1974 until 1977. It went on sale in February 1974, as a 2-door 1300 and a four-door 1500 (also available as a wagon beginning in May 1974). The smaller engine produces 69 hp, while the bigger one offered 86 hp. An automatic transmission was available on the larger engine, which was joined by the sporting 98 hp two-door 1500 TS version in May. The Passat immediately outsold the Beetle in the Australian market, although the T2 Transporter still sold more than Volkswagen's entire passenger car lineup.[10] In 1976 Nissan took over Volkswagen's Australian operations and kept assembling the entire lineup, including the Passat. The two-door models were discontinued, with the LS sedan and wagon now equipped with a 1.6-liter engine. Nissan assembly only lasted until March 1977, when the entire range became fully imported.[11]
The fully imported 1977 Passat GLS had a 53 kW 1588 cc engine and was originally only available as a two- or four-door sedan, at a sizable cost increase compared to the previous year. In spite of promises to keep up existing sales volumes, Passat volumes dropped by more than 70 percent.[11] Sales dropped by another 70 percent in 1978, to 356 cars. In February 1979 the 1977 facelift model finally arrived, also heralding the introduction of the five-door hatchback bodywork, accompanied by the wagon.
South Africa
In South Africa, the Passat was sold with two- or four-door saloon bodywork, as well as the five-door Variant model. The two-door was only marketed as the upscale "LS Coupé", near the top of the price range.[14] Equipment levels were L, LS, and later the LS de luxe. 1.3 or 1.6 L engines were available. For 1977, the five-door hatchback version arrived, badged "Passat LX."[15] Some other light modifications were also carried out for 1977, slight improvements to the ventilation system, more equipment, and new hubcaps for the LS and LX versions.[14] The South African market was the first to have facelift models featuring the frontal treatment of the Audi 80 facelift, starting in 1977.[16] This trend of applying the updated Audi 80 frontal treatment to the Passat would continue onto the 1978 facelift for the 1979 model year. While the facelift for the 1979 model year was relatively mild from the South African standpoint, it was now identical to the one that surfaced in the South American market, which received the update for the first time in 1978, still featuring the Audi 80's front-end treatment, albeit with rectangular headlight units instead of the quad round units of the earlier facelift. The South African public caught an early glimpse of the 1979 model in the August 1978 issue of CAR Magazine, thereby getting treated to updates such as noise reduction modifications, suspension improvements, and wider wheels.
