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Thus far, Volkswagen has only shown us a few sketches of its upcoming Passat replacement for North America, currently known as the New Mid-Size Sedan (NMS). Our illustrator has rendered what we expect the car to look like, but we haven’t caught an actual NMS-bodied car in the wild until now. Here, our shooters have snapped the first pictures of what Volkswagen hopes will be a serious player in the mid-size segment, taking on volume sellers like the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford Fusion, and the Hyundai Sonata.

From these images, we can see that the NMS will look a lot like a blown-up version of the 2011 Jetta, sharing almost identical upper and lower body lines. And while we can’t see the camo-covered front and rear fascias, we know that VW is moving to a new corporate face, as seen on the Jetta, caught here poking through the vinyl wrap.

At this point, the NMS’s real name is unannounced, but it’s known that VeeDub is aware of its model-name equity, which is why it chose to keep the Jetta label. (In development, the new Jetta was referred to as the New Compact Sedan.) There’s a chance that the Passat badge would be retained for this car, although that would mean VW sells one Passat here and another version (based on the current car) in Europe and elsewhere.

The NMS will be the first vehicle built at VW’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory and should arrive in late 2011 as a 2012 model. Until Volkswagen releases more official info, here is a basic rundown of what to expect from the NMS.

The NMS will be built using a new, transverse-engine, front-drive platform that will be communal throughout the future VW line.
U.S. cars will be powered by the current 2.5-liter five-cylinder and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four. A diesel-powered version has also been confirmed.
A hybrid powertrain will find its way into the NMS for 2013.
Target pricing will be on par with the mid-size contenders, between $20,000 and $30,000.

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