Volkswagen Passat Coupé Spied

The first unofficial photos of the 2009 Volkswagen Passat are now available, compliments of well-positioned spy photographers in Death Valley. Although the VW prototype clearly has four doors, the shapely new Passat is expected to be marketed as a "coupe" the same way Mercedes-Benz calls its four-door CLS a coupe.

Volkswagen intends to position this low-slung version as an upgrade from the traditional Passat, so expect a more luxurious interior and an MSRP that climbs above $40K.The Passat coupe is expected to go on sale in late 2008.