News24 Business | Three SA airports slide down Skytrax world rankings - but are still among the world's best

A class of its own. The Volkswagen Passat is a global bestseller. To date, more than 34 million units have been delivered to almost every country in the world. An ongoing success – even five decades after its debut, the Passat is currently one of the three best-selling Volkswagens internationally alongside the Tiguan and Polo (with their derivatives). In Europe, it has always been a steady long-term seller, especially as the Variant. Since 2022, Volkswagen has therefore exclusively offered the Passat as an estate version between the North Cape and Gibraltar. And with resounding success. In Germany, for example, the Passat Variant was topped the rankings in the mid-sized class in 2023, with 45,494 new registrations. The secret to its success is the fact that the Passat Variant is two cars in one – a business class vehicle and a family all-rounder at the same time. Now, a brand-new Passat Variant is being launched that has been developed from scratch. And this time, it is breaking down class boundaries. Even though the Passat Variant – now in its ninth generation – is priced (from 39,995 euros) in the mid-sized class, its new size, new quality standard and new innovative power mean it can cater to the next segment up.