29 years after it first rolled off the line in China, the VW car that made history was born again. Trying to create an impression that the new Santana (Santana NF) comes with VW’s latest technology and design language, Shanghai-VW (SVW) chose to debut it in Germany where it will not be released.

The retiring SVW Santana in different versions was derived from the second-gen Passat (B2). When it first hit the market in the early 1980s, China just began to open up and car ownership began to become a reality for ordinary people. Many families’s first car, the Santana met with huge success. It remained popular without a major re-design for almost three decades. While both looking and driving like a car from a past era, it is reliable and cheap to own.

The Santana was regenerated on an upgraded PQ25 platform (some call it PQ26), which it will share with the upcoming FAW-VW Jetta and SVW Skoda Rapid. It has a significantly longer wheelbase than Polo, which is based on the standard PQ25 (2603mm vs. 2470mm). In the SVW lineup, it sits between Polo and Lavida.

The styling, while renewed, offers nothing exciting. Inside and out, the design is a mixture of elements from other current VW models. The front grille and rear lamps come from Passat, the steering wheel and dashboard from Polo.

Powertrain options are basically shared with Polo, although the EA111 series engines were upgraded to the EA211. Consumers can choose between a 66kW 1.4 liter (CKA) and 81kW 1.6 (CPD), both mated to a 5MT or 6AT.

Built in SVW’s fifth factory, located in Yizheng, Jiangsu, the new Santana is to be released in December with prices expected in the 80,000-120,000 Yuan range. SVW plans to roll out 60,000 units of it by the end of this year and 220,000 in 2013.

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