Volkswagen Lavida Plus, the saloon for China that gets a facelift at the Beijing Motor Show

Carmakers have their eyes set on the Chinese market, one of the most important in the world when it comes to the automotive industry. Volkswagen, like many of them, has a subsidiary in this country and is working to carve out a place for itself there, developing exclusive models that carry the brand’s hallmark but tailored to the tastes of buyers in the Asian country. The Volkswagen Lavida Plus is one of those models, and at the Beijing Motor Show the third generation will be unveiled.

This new generation brings significant changes compared to the previous ones, although it still retains the key traits that have made them successful. The first thing that catches our attention is how much it resembles the Volkswagen Passat, although it is a somewhat smaller model. Even so, this new Volkswagen Lavida Plus has grown somewhat compared to the previous one.

That is because the German brand has decided to build the new Lavida Plus on its well-known MQB platform, scrapping the PQ34 it was using before. With this new platform, it increases its length by 65 mm, while the wheelbase grows by 74 mm. This means not only a slightly larger car, but also one with more interior space.

The car wants to be appealing, and for that reason it has been equipped with new attractions. Among them, we can find an infotainment system with a touchscreen to control it, dual-zone climate control, a multifunction steering wheel, leather upholstery, LED headlights and an electronic parking brake, among other things.

According to CarNews, this new Lavida Plus will come with three petrol engines. The 1.5-litre unit produces 116 CV, while the 1.2-litre turbo engine, which offers the same power, and the 1.6-litre engine with 150 CV round out the range, paired either with a five-speed manual gearbox or an automatic six-speed, depending on the version.

The Volkswagen Lavida Plus will go on sale in mid-summer and will have a price equivalent to 12,990 euros. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing it here, but it would certainly be a good alternative to the better-known models.