VW is hoping its CrossBlue Concept will spur U.S. sales, which are down 13.4% in 2014.
Volkswagen wants more American input into its vehicles sold in the U.S. so it’s creating a product development center in Tennessee. Despite this need, the maker’s “Cross Blue” concept, which is supposed to revive U.S. sales, will be developed solely in Germany.
The new product development center will be next to its assembly plant in Chattanooga and help shorten the company’s product cycle, according to Mark Trahan, Volkswagen of America executive vice president.
During the company’s recent product line preview, Trahan noted that cutting development cycles was a key objective in the company’s plans and should strengthen the maker’s position in the U.S. The center, which should be up and running in the next couple of years, is eventually expected to have as many as 200 employees.
Until now, Volkswagen products sold in the United States have been designed in Germany. Even the current generation of VW Passat, which is advertised as having been designed by engineers at VW’s global headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.
“German engineering” has been a tenet of the company’s marketing efforts in the U.S., but the results have been disappointing. It has become clear the cars need more input from the demanding and highly competitive American market to make them more appealing to American, VOA officials have acknowledged privately.
Volkswagen’s August sales fell 12.8% in August and have been down for the entire year 13.4%. This is a bigger drop than 2013, which saw a 6.9% decline. However, the company is forging ahead with other vehicles to right the ship, launching the new American versions of the Golf and GTI earlier this summer as 2015 models in the U.S.
(VW employees dealing with new union tussle. For more, Click Here.)
It also introducing the all-electric, battery-powered E-Golf this fall and has completed a series of changes to the compact Jetta, which features a new turbocharged EA288 TDI Clean Diesel engine, a refreshed exterior, and a host of newly available driver assistance systems.
(Click Here for details on Toyota’s efforts to increase child safety seat usage.)
The 2.0-liter base trim starts at $16,215 (plus $820 destination and handling), and is available as a factory order only. The well-equipped S model starts at $18,425 with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the entry-level 1.8T model, the SE, is priced from $18,995 with a five-speed manual transmission. The frugal TDI Clean Diesel model starts at $21,640 for the S trim.
(To see more on Mercedes new AMG beast, Click Here.)
The design elements of the 2015 Jetta include an extended wheelbase that stretches 104.4 inches; rear-seat legroom of 38.1 inches; gently arcing roofline that enables ample headroom of 37.1 inches for rear-seat passengers; 15.5 cubic feet of usable trunk space; and a new front bumper that helps to reduce air drag, improving aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.
The 2.0-liter turbocharged EA288 TDI Clean Diesel engine, one of the most fuel-efficient engines in its class, provides an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy rating of 46 mpg with the manual transmission.
VW and its Dealers are DEAF to the needs of Americans. The dealers do not care if your auto is in the shop for weeks or months for minor repairs or even worse..one of VW’s constant breakdowns.
Reliable is not in VW’s vocabulary.
Owned a few and nothing but problems and constantly broken down and in the shop.
Never again will I buy a VW product. They have a long way to go to get knowledgeable Americans to buy their autos.
Oh yea…German reliability (HAH!) and American materials and performance. And this same recipe worked out SO well for VW when they tried it at the Westmorleland plant back in the early 80s. Why doesn’t VW just GIVE UP on this country and let its Seat brand give it a try? At least those vehicles are a bit interesting.
I have owned a original jetta for 14 years, soon to be 15th year!!!!!!! I do hope you hear this “well”, I have not done any “major” repairs !!!!!!1 I would buy one again,if at a December 31st midnite price, of course! My former husband,(worked for for a V.W dealer in Conn) and he passed away suddenly at 55 yrs.old _____THANK GOD, he left me “THE TIGER!”. By the way, I am a 6TH generation, “knowledgable,” “MAYFLOWER AMERICAN”.
as a repair facility I do not recommend these cars.i tell my customers to steer clear of vws.after 3 or 4 yrs they leak oil all over .there wiring diagrams are horrendous.also diagnostic work on these vehicles are a horror
VW wants to “Americanize” their cars, but they are locating their design center in Chattanooga, Tennessee? Most automakers pursuing the same goal come to southern California. Gee, maybe VW is looking to get cozy with NASCAR!
This is another misstep for VW. Chattanooga is hardly the epicenter for the car culture in the U.S.
We fell in love with VW’s because you could fix them with a screwdriver and a wrench. Now you can’t even replace the transmission fluid without the dealerships computer and it’s like 4 or 5 hundred dollars. Americans like to service their own cars, DUH! Bring back practicality and maybe you’ll win back fans.
Try for a manual transmission.
IME the above represents the views of many if not most VW consumers or potential U.S. customers. Unfortunately VW is not listening to their customers. They hear what they chose to hear and that isn’t the real problems.
As a perfect example of problems I have recently purchased two VW brake parts a 6″ rubber hose and a 4″ steel brake line. Both cost approximately $60 each. They sell retail in the aftermarket for less than $10. ea. While auto makers almost always charge more than the aftermarket, 6 times is unacceptable and unreasonable when the aftermarket part is produced by the same OE supplier…
VW do not need to americanise their products they need to Toyotanize their products. Put an emphazy on quality and not just initial quality. Quality parts make a quality vehicle. Dealers have to be more customer friendly and stop charging so much for service and maintenance.
I hope the management of VW is reading THESE comments – for their own good.
Bring back the beetle! The “new beetle” was not bad I even thought of buying a diesel version, then BAM out cam the (new)”new beetle”! What an UGLY bloated version!
I drove a 1964 and sold it with 225,000 miles. Best car I have ever owned. I should have never sold that car. Try getting that kind of service out of a new one.
Would love to buy a new T5 VW diesel van with a stick.. But instead you rebrand a Dodge van, which was notorious for issues prior to you putting a VW badge on it.. Honestly think you have some nice cars, even would have bought a new GTI when i was looking for new cars last year, but i only drive stick, and when i was told there would be a two year wait for a manual transmission i bought a honda. Also, as per everyone else above.. I agree.. My buddy and myself bought two new cars at around the same time, he got a 1999 VW passat and i bought a 99 camry. He had to replace just about every part on it, and it died at 225K miles. The camry i sold at 335k miles and it needed a clutch.. first one.
Aside from the reliability issues – I owned two VW’s and both were prone to breakdowns – ALL of the replacement parts are obscure and expensive. $160 for a basic car battery is nuts!
Attn: VWoA
My dream vehicles:
VW Golf TDi 4-door hatchback stripped down. Nothing in it, nothing on it. 6-Speed stick shift (5-Speed, maybe) with 3 pedals under the dash and a regular e-brake lever between the front seats.
VW Amarok TDi 4-Motion Pickup.
Nothing in it, nothing on it. 6-Speed stick shift (5-Speed, maybe) with 3 pedals under the dash and a regular e-brake lever between the front seats. Lockers or LSD’s front, middle, & rear (or at least 2 out of 3). Offroaders know!
The only upgrades I want or am willing to tolerate (on both): Basic alloy wheels, sunroof, remote control mirrors, power door locks, & the 2nd turbo on the Amarok. If possible, I’d take them with manual seats, manual windows, everything stripped bare.
I’d put an aftermarket alarm and stereo in with more functionality at a cheaper price than OEM could ever match. And, if some new radio, navigation, or cellphone tech comes out in three years, I’ll just rip out the radio and upgrade at a fraction of what an OEM unit would cost (and which still won’t have the latest tech for my then several-years-old model). Think today’s radios with Bluetooth hands-free & A2DP music-streaming capabilities. What’s next?
I’d use the Golf TDi as my daily driver and on the weekends, I’d take the Amarok TDi 4-Motion out with our Boy Scout Troop or take care of “honey-do” lists.
Everyone, I hear your complaints. VW has gone downhill somewhat with reliability and ease of repairs (some models worse than others), especially with the overburdening of the cars with automatic, electric, and power everything and all the “driver aids” so popular these days. All the auto-makers have gone nuts with these. That’s one on a long list of reasons why I want my vehicles to be stick-shifts (manual transmission. NOT automated manual, plain manual).
At least I’m still seeing a standard double-DIN radio in VW vehicles (the ones I’ve seen). I drove a friend’s 2006-ish Ford Taurus for a little while – the radio is in the trunk! All that is in the dash is the display, buttons, and the CD slot. The entire radio and amplifier unit is in the trunk (“boot” to the British, Australians, etc.)! To replace the radio with an after-market unit, you have to run a new wiring harness from the dashboard to the trunk/boot. And, you also have to get a new face plate with the HVAC controls to cover the hole left by the removal of the radio face from the dashboard. Who puts both the “radio” and HVAC controls into one piece?
I may be going off on a bit of a tangent here, but I long for the day when all automobile makers will standardize their radio, navigation, and infotainment systems like PC manufacturers have done. I’m talking standard slots in the dashboard of vehicles like you see at the front of a PC tower for CD, DVD, Blue-ray drives, card readers, and other accessories. You want your vehicle with a basic radio and a cubby hole – two slots, one each. Another person wants a big screen with navigation and all the bells and whistles – two slots (or even three!). If vehicles came with three standardized slots, the first slot or two could be used by the radio/infotainment system and the third slot could be used for optional extras – an upgraded amplifier, an AC Inverter (115 Volts AC in the US, 230 Volts AC in Europe, etc.), or the third slot could be extra space for a gigantic infotainment screen (larger than the typical 2-slot size). DIN, Double-DIN, & Triple-DIN, maybe.
I hope VW is listening – and this from a guy who bought a new Jetta TDI stick and now just bought a Passat TDI stick since my wife commandeered the Jetta for its 39 mpg (I got 42 around town, but she’s Italian). Tried to buy a couple of small plastic bits after hitting a “road ‘gator” (tire tread) and the prices were 6 times what I’d expected so didn’t buy. Parts also constantly back-ordered per the parts mgr. They will never be a major player in the USA because they’re engineering-oriented and not consumer-oriented. Since I have a well equipped garage and a half-dozen cars, I just hope I can maintain these cars and avoid repairs I don’t want to tackle. It’s worked with my Nissans and Mercedes, and using all aftermarket parts, lets hope it works for VW.
We could use a USA maid, Small VW truck. I4 diesel. I agree with many of you. No gadgets, 6 speed manual trans, crank windows, no heated seats or computer stuff. that’s extra cost and weight! 42-48 MPG would do. 2wd or all wheel drive no other options needed.