With advanced driver assistance systems and a great price, Volkswagen’s Passat GT stands as the flagship model leading the “democratization” of the imported car market, Volkswagen Korea said Wednesday.

The German automaker said the newest model of the eighth-generation Passat GT is a reasonable choice for those looking for a sedan with good value, available at lower prices than its rivals, but not missing out on the latest technologies.

In 2018, Volkswagen Korea set a goal to “democratize” Korea’s imported car market, which it explains as making imported cars more readily available to a wider group of consumers by lowering prices, yet sticking to their superb value, and by doing so, strengthening their position to compete with local brands.

The Passat is a perfect car for just that. One of Volkswagen’s global bestsellers, the model has sold over 30 million units around the world, and stands as No. 1 in terms of sales in Germany’s sedan market, the company said.

The face-lifted Passat GT, which landed in Korea in January, boasts some high-level technologies that cannot be seen in rival models in the same price range over 40 million won ($35,300), according to the automaker.

The newest sedan has been equipped with Volkswagen’s most developed advanced driver assistance system -- IQ.Drive -- as well as its intelligent lighting system IQ.Light.

The core of IQ.Drive is Travel Assist, which supports assistance up to a top speed of 210 kilometers per hour. The assistance system also encompasses technologies including adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

The model also uses MIB3, which is the automaker’s infotainment system meeting the latest standards for automotive connectivity.

While imported carmakers would often receive complaints over their internal navigation systems for inconvenience, Volkswagen said it worked with a Korean map company to exclusively develop a new navigation system for Korean drivers that is implemented in the Passat GT.

For customers looking for midsized sedans from German car brands, or for those who want to own an imported car for the first time, Volkswagen Korea said it has prepared price benefits.

Using the Volkswagen financial service program, a customer can receive an 8 percent discount on purchase, and if they trade in their used cars, they can receive 4.5 million won. With the two benefits combined, customers can cut up to 18 percent off the car price.

Considering that the lowest package for the Passat GT, the 2.0 TDI Premium, starts from 44.9 million won, customers can purchase the car at 36 million won.

Volkswagen Korea noted that the Passat GT has a competitive edge in price when compared to the competing Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, for which the starting prices are 49 million won and 50 million won, respectively.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)