Filed under: Trends, Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials
Volkswagen strips vehicle lineup in UK
In a bid to rationalize its vehicle lineup and control costs, Volkswagen's British outpost is taking a massive axe to its range, culling dozens of models and options from its order books. With in excess of 10,000 different build combinations and pressures to streamline their operations, VW has resorted to nixing entire trim levels, colors, options in an effort to simplify its offerings.
Models that have seen their final days on UK shores include the 4.2-liter V8 short-wheelbase Phaeton, the Polo in 1.4-liter TDI E, S, SE and Sport variants, and the Touran in 2.0-liter FSI 150 SE trim. Newer models like the Eos, Touareg, Jetta, and Fox have been spared.
The company promises that existing owners of discontinued models will not have any service or parts issues as a result.
While Autoblog has yet to confirm if mainland Europe is similarly affected, we would be surprised if similar measures weren't taken there as well. Will U.S. lineups receive a similar once-over? Nothing is certain, but VW's U.S. lineups have a far more abbreviated lineup of vehicles and trims on offer, particularly in areas of drivetrain options. If company officials do seek to lessen the number of build combinations, expect changes to be wrought with a far lighter hand.
[Sources: AutoExpress UK; VW-Resource.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tr 2:36PM (5/18/2006)
i didn't realize how many engine/trim variants they had! just looking at the golf models, i can see why they are cutting back. on the other hand, i think if VW gave the US a couple more engine choices in the lineup, they'd probably sell a few more vehicles.
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Howard Kerr 2:48PM (5/18/2006)
I doubt the U.S. arm of VW can trim many (or any) models from it's lineup. As it now stands, we have only a little more to chose from than your average third world country does.
In some countries, VW markets a 5 door Golf, a Jetta wagon, and Touran...which is really nothing more than a "tall" Golf. Add in the various gas engines and diesel engines, some of the gas and some of the diesel engines have 2 or 3 horsepower ratings with the same displacement and you are quickly drowning in choices.
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sp 4:26PM (5/18/2006)
heh, US has barely any options... For every model sold in US, same model in Europe has at least 5 extra engines and hundreds of options...
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Mal Fuller 5:41PM (5/18/2006)
Does this mean that once again the gas gauge is doomed?
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dave 9:22PM (5/18/2006)
#3:
Yeah, but most of those are diesel or 4-cylinder variants (or both, like the BMW 320d) that, for whatever reason ("addiction to oil," presumably) don't fly here in the States. I would love a 320d or an A4 TDI, but the market here won't support it; it dilutes the brand here, whereas in Europe, it's perfectly reasonable to have a low-displacement, diesel luxury car ... or for a luxury marque to have low-priced gas models like the Mercedes A-Class.
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