Re: New Beetle: Hit or Miss?

[Jamie - VWvortex <jamie@vwvortex.com>]

O.K. I'll bite:

> Why would they drop the 16V engine from their N.A. lineup?  How about
> the Corrado?  Still waiting for an A3 VW Syncro?  VWofA wants to
> simplify their marketing, and currently has three engine choices
> and four platforms for sale in N.A.  The Golf is not VWofA's bread
> and butter.  The Jetta is! If C-1 outsells the Golf, the Golf is
> history here.  If C-1 doesn't sell as well as the Golf, VAG pulls
> out of North America.  Either way, we GTI fans lose.

German Manufacturer's reported on average over 25% increases in sales this
past year in the U.S. The germans are learning to respond to what the
public wants: BMW Z3, Mercedes M-class, Porsche Boxster, and VW Beetle.
Volkswagen had their best sales in over ten years. There is a 5+ month
waiting list for Passats and a current 3+ month waiting list for the new
Golf IV in Europe. VWoA sold over 3500 Jetta GLX's alone this past year in
the U.S. - more than double from last year. Dealers here in the States
can't keep new Passats on the lot. It is more than safe to assume that VAG
is NOT pulling out of North America anytime soon.


> The problem with the GTI VR6 is that somebody at VWofA HQ has them
> convinced that it won't sell, so they assign them to the corporate
> motor pool instead of shipping them to dealers.  My local dealer
> didn't even get a single 1996 model that I know of, and can't show
> me a 1998 right now.

I'm sure that if you polled the list right now you would find more than a
few people with '96 model year GTI's. Dealers in the Chicago area were
tacking on "Adjusted Market Value Increases" ($500-$1000) to the stickers
of 1997 GTI-VR6's not because they couldn't sell them, but because they
were in such high demand. Demand for '98's remains strong as well.


> VW *will not* sell the Passat or any car in N.A. with a Syncro
> package under the VW logo.  Likewise, they will pull the VR6
> and other premium engines from the VW lineup.  If you want power or AWD,
> you'll have to spend the bucks for a marked-up Audi.

The Passat WILL be available with a Synchro option. Intially in the wagons
and then in the sedans. There *IS* a "premium engine" the 2.8 30-valve Audi
V6 in the Passat and they are at some dealers already in a GLS model.



> The VR5 will be the biggest engine in a VW.

There will NOT be any VR5 motors coming to the U.S. according to VWoA.


> a $25K+ VW here.  The way that the public laughed when they said that
> they wanted to go head-to-head against Mercedes is enough proof to them.

In Europe, the press and public are putting the new VW's at the same
quality level as Mercedes and BMW. Sure, there will be a mindset to
overcome here in the U.S. The public may not put VW in the same league as
Benz and BMW, but if the U.S. Automotive press starts preaching the VW
mantra like they are in Europe, you will see the tide turn.


> pay the team the following year.  On January 5, 1998, VWofA laid
> their cards on the table with the New Beetle.  The VW brand will
> take a nose-dive, and the Audi line will be marked up to cover the
> VW losses.

Geez... just a little cynical Arthur? Maybe, because of the new Beetle, we
should all run out and sell our VW's and buy something else! (can't imagine
what...)

The Beetle is a *NICHE* vehicle, much the same way the BMW Z3 and Mazda
Miata are. Is BMW going to axe the 3-series convertible just because of the
Z3? No. The two cars serve two different purposes. The Beetle will be a
success for VW and those of you preaching that the sky is falling need to
think this through. NO, the Beetle is not the same as the old one in
function. It is a *New* Beetle. You will see every sort of person buying
these cars. Celebrities and wealthy people who just "have" to have one,
young people looking for something new and different, old Beetle fans that
can get over the fact that this is a "New" Beetle, etc. Will they sell
millions? No. They obviously don't plan to with a production of only 50,000.

Take heart VW fans. Volkswagen is making a *big* effort to turn things
around and produce a German engineered vehicle, with quality levels that
will send many others back to the board. These will be great platforms for
enthusiasts to build cars to their tastes. This is an exciting time for VW
and you will see some great cars come to fold in the next two years.

Happy motoring,

- -jamie