Are you impatiently waiting to check out VW's new Jetta Sportwagen? Looks like you'll be waiting a bit longer. Autoblog has confirmed a rumor on the VW Vortex forums that the August launch of VW's new Jetta wagon has been delayed. The posting on the forums said an engine plant fire was to blame, but that remains unconfirmed.
Keith Price, VW's public relations manager, tells Autoblog that the company, "Lost some production" and will roll out the 2.0FSI Turbo models with the official launch of the Clean Diesel wagons in early 2008. Price said to look for a "tiny trickle of 2.0FSI Turbo cars at intro, and an even split of 2.5L and Clean Diesel in dealers to follow" in March.
With a dearth of inexpensive, but spacious wagons on the market, this is indeed disappointing news for those hoping to snag one of these budget five-doors this year. But if it's the diesel model for which you pine, Price said those are on schedule for March, and that, "Clean Diesel Sportwagens will be hot."
We take that to mean, "Get in line."
Thanks for the tip, Scott!
UPDATE: Keith Price wrote us back to confirm a plant fire that destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 cylinder heads is to blame for this delay. He also says pricing for gasoline and diesel models has still not been finalized.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
srivendel @ Jul 6th 2007 2:07PM
The US diesel revolution begins, with this and the new diesel Accord leading the way!
1337 @ Jul 6th 2007 3:21PM
Eh, VW and M-B have been selling diesels in the US for years. Don't get me wrong, I've had a lot of them, and I think they're great cars, but it's definitely not a revolution. I really want a new Sportwagen TDI 2.0 TDI.
srivendel @ Jul 6th 2007 3:35PM
I disagree:
1. MB doesn't count because most punters can't afford them.
2. These diesles are much more sophisticated than the US mass market has ever seen before.
3. $3 gas will make a lot more people consider diesels than in the past.
4. Honda offering a diesel Accord is huge in terms of mass market acceptance of the technology. ADM, here we come, baby!
MikeW @ Jul 7th 2007 12:43AM
It is not going to be a revolution unless it has a transverse 8 speed automatic.
Hopefully Honda will move beyond their current 5 speed automatic transmissions.
Drewboy @ Jul 6th 2007 2:36PM
Sign me up for the of the non-burning ones.
Bryan @ Jul 6th 2007 2:44PM
What a bland car. I like the idea of a diesel option but come on. I'll take the Mazda 3 any day regardless of the diesel option.
dcwf @ Jul 6th 2007 2:51PM
"With the delay, VW is trying to impart its service department feeling before the car is even built," Price added.
bmoredlj @ Jul 6th 2007 2:58PM
You can't delay the ugly butt of that thing long enough. And why not wrap the glass around the d-pillars, for pete's sake?
Peff_D @ Jul 6th 2007 3:15PM
...or VW realized that they could make more money with the diesels so they decided to hold off and bait more people into buying them - as the summer rolls bye and more and more people feel the pinch at the pump... more and more people will yearn for a diesel option... :(
1337 @ Jul 6th 2007 3:24PM
In the past few years, VW has not brought enough diesels to America to meet demand. I remember when the MK V Jetta came out, my local dealer was selling diesel Jettas for over sticker price, and they couldn't keep them on the lot. If anything, Volkswagen should import a huge number of diesels and load the television up with TDI ads.
EEGeek @ Jul 6th 2007 4:57PM
A large part of the problem VW has had recently with diesel allocation is that the engines were too dirty, so even outside the CARB states they had to offset diesel sales over the last several years with cleaner petrol engine sales, first at 2:1 gas:diesel, then 3:1, etc...
I think the reason there were no diesels in 2007 was that the offset program disappeared and they were not ready with the cleaner engines, and the low sulfur fuel was not yet fully available. I'm sure the diesel heads at tdiclub have the details.
I doubt that VW will hold back to pen up demand. They realize that they have about a year to make hay until Honda, Nissan, et. al. come out with lots of diesel competition.
Mulad @ Jul 6th 2007 6:26PM
EEGeek: The Jetta TDI was classified as a Tier II Bin 10 vehicle, at the time the least restrictive "bin" of the 10 then available for passenger cars. Bin 9 and Bin 10 classifications went away at the end of 2006 (they'll disappear at the end of 2008 for trucks).
The only realistic way to get diesels which are cleaner than Bin 10 was to use ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which in turn allows for particulate filters and special catalytic converters. However, ULSD didn't appear at pumps in the U.S. until late 2006. Volkswagen wasn't able to roll out their clean diesels fast enough, so there's a year delay.
The diesels coming to the U.S. in 2008 are all targeting Tier II Bin 5 regulations, which is the same level of output as California's LEV II. Diesels actually have a few emissions advantages over gasoline engines. Evaporative emissions are nil, and things like formaldehyde don't appear as much, so in some ways they hit PZEV levels. The big things that hurt diesels are NOx and particulates.
Mulad @ Jul 6th 2007 6:29PM
EEGeek: The Jetta TDI was classified as a Tier II Bin 10 vehicle, at the time the least restrictive "bin" of the 10 then available for passenger cars. Bin 9 and Bin 10 classifications went away at the end of 2006 (they'll disappear at the end of 2008 for trucks).
The only realistic way to get diesels which are cleaner than Bin 10 was to use ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which in turn allows for particulate filters and special catalytic converters. However, ULSD didn't appear at pumps in the U.S. until late 2006. Volkswagen wasn't able to roll out their clean diesels fast enough, so there's a year delay.
The diesels coming to the U.S. in 2008 are all targeting Tier II Bin 5 regulations, which is the same level of output as California's LEV II. Diesels actually have a few emissions advantages over gasoline engines. Evaporative emissions are nil, and things like formaldehyde don't appear as much, so in some ways they hit PZEV levels. The big things that hurt diesels are NOx and particulates.
Calguy @ Jul 6th 2007 6:38PM
As a rabid wagon lover, I say this with dismay... this is one dumpy looking ride. It is the most un-Teutonic looking vehicle this side of a Dodge Ram.
What a disappointment. At least it heralds greater availability of diesel power. Other than that, it looks like something that would have wound up on Daewoo's cutting room floor in 1993. Sorry.
Chuck @ Jul 6th 2007 8:35PM
I thought so too, but the pictures from the NY Autoshow of the red one with the sports package and 18 inch wheels look a lot more promising
... @ Jul 6th 2007 7:01PM
As great as diesels seem to be for the moment, i think it would be better to further hybrid technology to eventually lead the auto industry into creating practical electric cars. Diesel does absolutely nothing for the advancement of technology. It would, however, make a great replacement for gas engines in hybrid systems. the current production prius could possibly achieve mpgs in the 60s. but overall, diesel engines are not the future.
Jim @ Jul 7th 2007 9:31PM
Anything more than 6 speeds is just showing off, not gaining enough speed or efficiency to make the extra cost and complexity worthwhile.
Then again, pretty much anything by VW/Audi suffers from electronic reliability issues. I'd be at the front of the line to pay above sticker for this Jetta Wagon if I thought I wouldn't see the check engine light on within 12 months. But I don't, so I won't
Mal Fuller @ Jul 7th 2007 1:27PM
Blogger Chris Tutor asks: "Are you impatiently waiting to check out VW's new Jetta Sportwagen?"
Mal Fuller replies: "Nope."