VW showed us and a bunch of elderly curmudgeons auto journalists sketches of that mid-size sedan (code named "NMS") at their Wolfsburg plant last week. While we weren't able to take pictures, just imagine a CC/Phaeton love child that sits somewhere between the two in terms of size. It's swoopier and more closely related to the CC than the sketch above. Arriving as either a 2012 or 2013 model, the VW NMS will be larger than the Passat, which VW had determined is too small to achieve strong sales in America.

To keep the price free of currency fluctuations and to appeal to patriotic buyers, the NMS will be built at a new factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee that'll open in 2011 with production of that vehicle. That plant's annual capacity is 150,000 vehicles, a healthy chunk of the 800,000 vehicles VW wants to sell here annually by 2018.

Even as other automakers go bankrupt and face a huge downturn in sales, VW increased its global market share to 12% as of July and reported a $1.77 billion operating profit during the first half of this year.

Joining the NMS to reach that sales goal will be a new version of the Ford Fiesta-rivaling VW Polo, likely equipped with a choice of 1.2 and 1.4-liter supercharged and turbocharged TSI engines. Those engines are sort of a lower-cost, lower-weight alternative to hybrid powertrains, offering the power of larger, 2.0 or 2.5-liter engines with the fuel consumption of the smaller capacity. Expect to see the larger of those two engines in the Golf, too.

We had the opportunity to try that 167 HP 1.4-liter TSI engine in the VW Passat on the Oschersleben track and found its lack of capacity wasn't detectable over the 2.5-liter five-cylinder Golf we drove on the road earlier in the day. In fact, the 1.4 makes equivalent torque (177 lb/ft) to the 2.5, but across a much wider rev range (1,500 to 4,500 RPM) without any turbo lag or other downsides. Blindfolded, you couldn't tell the difference between the two engines until it came time to pay for fuel, the 1.4 achieves well over 30 MPG in the heavy Passat mid-size. Expect to see similar technology roll out across the VW and Audi lineup in a variety of engine sizes.

Also on the Eco front, the fully-electric VW E-UP ! will go on sale in 2013. The four-seat subcompact will be equipped with 18 kWh Lithium-Ion batteries powering an 80 HP electric motor good for 84 MPH and and 80-mile range.

The company also plans an all-new 2013 VW Beetle that'll be larger inside, with more leg room for rear seat passengers, yet the same size outside. That'll be thanks to less ridiculous, more sophisticated packaging designed to make the Beetle less of a joke and more of a halo car for the entire VW range.

Speaking of halo cars, the next-gen 2011 VW Phaeton will likely return to the US. Based on the same platform as the upcoming Audi A6 and A8, it'll cost in excess of $50,000, giving VW one of the most extensive ranges of any single brand, starting with the sub $15,000 Polo and running through the E-UP ! Golf, Beetle, Jetta, Eos, Tiguan Passat, CC, NMS, Toureg and Phaeton.

Last week we reviewed the US-market 2010 VW Golf TDI and found that it exorcised the Ghosts of VW's somewhat ill-spec'd past to create a nearly ideal practical car. It combined quality, luxury, fun and economy to create one of the most complete packages on the market today. If VW can do as well with the rest of its new products, that 800,000 US sales a year goal sounds totally feasible.

The Chinese are as fascinated with Transformers as some of us are. So fascinated, this Chinese mall built their very own VW Passat-bot. Check it out. It actually doesn't look half-bad. Certainly more than some of Michael Bay's creations. [via China Car Times]

This seems like the best possible way for wrecked cars to be given a second chance at life. We're pretty sure the only driven wheels belong to the Passat, but the foolishness potential is not much diminished. Just take a moment to imagine the kinds of shenanigans you could get into with a contraption as shoddily constructed and inherently dangerous as this. It warms the cockles to see backwoods engineering alive and well in the old Soviet block. [via Glamcar]

It's fairly common knowledge that a $100,000 Corvette ZR1 shares much of its steering wheel with a $20,000 Chevy Cobalt. You can also find a VW key fob swabbed with leather when you ignite the W16 in a Bugatti Veyron, but we wanted to know more. Our friends at The Car Lounge helped a great deal by showing us some of the lesser known "common parts" between the cars below and their more exotic and luxurious brethren.

1. Opel Tigra	2. VW Passat	3. Ford Focus SVT	4. Rover 200
5. VW Scirocco	6. Nissan 300ZX	7. Merkur XR4TI	8. Toyota Trueno AE86
9. VW Corrado	10. Hyundai Sonata	11. Volvo V70	12. Pontiac Trans Am

These lesser-known examples have us wondering what we may have missed. So now we ask you, our faithful Jalopnik commentariat, what unexpected part sharing are you aware of?

[via TCL]

The tail lights on the VW Passat have swapped sides and have been laid down on their side to give this questionably styled supercar a dose of reality. Sneaky, sneaky.

Go Back To What Unexpected Parts Have These Cars Shared?

If you look at all the photos from the site you can sort of get the idea that it has a grille, and I'm pretty sure a rear window. It looks like it'll retain the characteristic VW squared-curve C-pillar, but that's the best line you're given. Have fun figuring it out from the video and photos.