Ask the Car People.SM


The Future of Volkswagen in the U.S. - READ ONLY

57 messages,  Last post on Oct 29, 2007 at 5:59 PM

You are in the Automotive News & Views-Archives Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volkswagen, Automotive News

Messages Page 1 of 6

#1 of 57 Whats the future of Volkswagen, looking like here in the U.S. ? by rockylee

Apr 24, 2007 (3:44 am)

I was checking out the prices on some used VW Phaetons on autotrader and boy they are actually very nice luxury cars. You can pick up the V12's pretty reasonable. It's a shame VW, could never rid it's image of being a builder of just economy cars ?
 
What's the future looking like for this company in the U.S. if they aren't going to be able to sell higher-end cars in quantity ?
 
Rocky

#2 of 57 Re: Whats the future of Volkswagen, looking like here in the U.S. ? [rockyl by gagrice

Apr 24, 2007 (5:34 am)

Replying to: rockylee (Apr 24, 2007 3:44 am)
VW should stick to what they do best. Leave the high end to their luxury division Audi. It would be the same as Toyota offering an LS type car as a Toyota. People that buy luxury cars do not want an economy car brand. VW is positioned very well right now with the best small diesel cars on the road. They are number one in the EU. If they resolve some of the reliability issues and get their dealerships more customer friendly they will make a comeback in the US. I loved the 2005 Passat diesel wagon I had. They need to offer the Jetta wagon in TDI. Drew VW that I used for service was great. I would have bought from them if they offered diesels in CA.
 
They also need to offer a 6 cylinder TDI in the Touareg. Not many people want that fire breathing V10 TDI they have on the lots now. It is the only diesel SUV you can buy new in CA and the wannabe states.

#3 of 57 Re: Whats the future of Volkswagen, looking like here in the U.S. ? [rockyl [gagrice] by rockylee

Apr 24, 2007 (5:42 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Apr 24, 2007 5:34 am)
Sounds like a good plan.
 
Rocky

#4 of 57 You know what's weird... by andys120

Apr 24, 2007 (5:47 am)

Volkswagen AG, not Honda was the first to expand from a maker of economy brands to a maker of high-content luxury cars.
 
VAG introduced the Audi brand to the US in the early 70s, 20 years before the arrival of Acura, Lexus and Infiniti but apparently they need to relearn the lesson they taught the Japanese.
 
Reintroducing the Phaeton at this time is foolish. If I were VW Group I would rebrand the car as a Horch or Auto Union because hardly any one could justify to themselves spending the big bucks on a "Volkswagen".

#5 of 57 Re: You know what's weird... [andys120] by gagrice

Apr 24, 2007 (6:08 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Apr 24, 2007 5:47 am)
Wasn't it the Audi Fox that first hit here in the early 1970s?

#6 of 57 Re: You know what's weird... [gagrice] by andys120

Apr 24, 2007 (6:21 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Apr 24, 2007 6:08 am)
Wasn't it the Audi Fox that first hit here in the early 1970s?
 
Audi's first US Model was the Audi 100LS, first exported to the USA in 1969, it was moderately successful, IIRC>
 

 
The smaller Fox (nee Audi 80) was introduced to the US in 1973.

#7 of 57 Re: You know what's weird... [andys120] by guss

Apr 24, 2007 (10:32 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Apr 24, 2007 6:21 am)
Speaking of the Fox, VW should be going after the sub $15k market before they go after the Phaeton market again.
 
If they could do a Fox to go after the Corolla\Civic\Focus market they will be getting alot of future Jetta and passat owners.
 
BTW the Audi Fox in your picture proves that nobody makes a better looking sedan than Audi. 40 years later and it still looks good.

#8 of 57 Re: You know what's weird... [guss] by andys120

Apr 24, 2007 (2:46 pm)

Replying to: guss (Apr 24, 2007 10:32 am)
Sorry if I confused you but that is not a Fox in that photo, it's a '69 Audi 100LS.
 
This is a Fox/Audi80 as it appeared '71-'74.>

 
Rumor has it VW is preparing a sub-$15K entry, I 'spect it will be Lupo-based and made in Mexico or Brazil.

#9 of 57 I think by fezo

Apr 24, 2007 (4:19 pm)

that VW is realizing that it needs more of the cheaper cars. They now advertise that they have three under $17K.
 
That is certainly where their traditional market used to be. I would think they'd do better following that and top off at the Passat.

#10 of 57 does VW by nippononly

Apr 24, 2007 (8:29 pm)

really have a future in the U.S.? Sales are off.....AGAIN.....so go the reports. The Passat is new, yet sales are off. Some might say, way off. The professional reviews of the car aren't that great. The Jetta has been bargain-basemented in its second year after it stalled coming out of the gate.
 
The New Beetle is going to be barely refreshed, and the name change for the Rabbit didn't perk up sales. It's always the same old same old at VW. The Euro-dollar exchange is going to hurt them for quite a while yet, I think. So where will they find new sales? When they say they can't make any real profits off Jetta and Golf sales, how are they going to magically pull big profits out of sales of a $14K Lupo knockoff? I would have thought a slightly federalized Polo would do the trick - they sell them in Mexico already and you see them in the southern states all the time, cute little cars, nicely priced. But even if they did that, I don't suppose it would cure what ails them.
 
Then there is this big plan to finally bring back VW vans.....by borrowing almost everything from Chrysler (including production of the chassis, right?), the North American leader in fleet van sales, right when minivan sales finally seem to be doing the slow decline that people have long predicted but which has only recently materialized.
 
If I headed up VW, I think I might seriously consider pulling out of the U.S. for a few years and plugging away at the Audi sales, which apparently are very profitable, without any of the challenges the VW brand presents.

Messages Page 1 of 6

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement