Volkswagen considering offering Polo in U.S. market
The Rabbit is currently the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle in Volkswagen's U.S. fleet, getting around 26 mpg on the EPA's combined city/highway cycle. But V-Dub wants something better for the U.S. market. Speaking with Bloomberg, VW CEO, Stefan Jacoby revealed that the automaker is considering bringing a subcompact vehicle, similar to the Polo, to the U.S.
With the Toyota Yaris rated at 32 mpg and the Honda Fit coming in at 31 mpg (combined city/highway), Volkswagen is hoping to meet or exceed the competition. While it's unlikely we'll see the current Polo on U.S. shores anytime soon, it's expected that the next generation will be available in the States in 2010 when the new Jetta is released, followed by a new midsize sedan that will replace the Passat.
The additions and revisions to VW's product line is an effort by the automaker to boost U.S. sales to 800,000 units by 2018, nearly tripling the 230,571 vehicles it sold in 2007. VW is also looking to build a new engine plant in Mexico, along with its recently announced Tennessee plant.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Declan Moran 3:38PM (7/18/2008)
DO IT,
I'd buy, just the ticket.
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Xcountryflyer 7:13PM (7/18/2008)
Hurry up and don't price it like a expensive Rabbit or Jetta.
lvdave 2:13PM (7/19/2008)
@xcountryflyer
If you compare the Rabbit's standard equipment with other cars you'll realize that it is the best value in it's class. A 2door Rabbit it just as nicely equipped as a Civic EX coupe, but it costs about $3000 less. The only drawback is the fuel economy, but what do you expect for 170hp. Also 16k is cheap nowadays for a new car.
Wintrode 3:42PM (7/18/2008)
About damn time!
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epilonious 5:21PM (7/18/2008)
I'm sure VWUSA will find some way to bugger it up.
If they do bring it over, they'll stick the 8-valve 2-liter in it so that it only gets 25/31 with a whopping 115 HP, they'll add ugly license plate holders and mess up the grille... and send the design to the same manufacture plants that sent up so many initial quality nightmares in the 2000+ run of crap.
Then they'll charge $17,500 while the other models jump in price.
At least VWUSA never charges extra for their state-of-the-art warranty expiration detection system.
lvdave 2:20PM (7/19/2008)
@epilonious
The 2.0l 8v's regularly get better than epa mpg. My 2001 Cabrio gets 32mpg of mixed driving and it's an automatic. Also in spite of VW's reliability problems these motors are very reliable. Just don't put your money on the window regulators or auto transmission surviving for the life of the car.
VW would be stupid for using that motor though. 115hp is not sufficient for a modern 2.0l engine and it is also very rough and noisy. It gives my Cabby character, but would not be acceptable on a new car.
dosahut 3:44PM (7/18/2008)
Give us the polo or the UP! with a small TDI, and you've got yourselves a real winner.
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Torrent 1:19PM (7/19/2008)
+1
RGS 3:45PM (7/18/2008)
"The Rabbit is currently the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle in Volkswagen's U.S. fleet..."
Doesn't the GTI get slightly better mileage?
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mr.ed 10:41PM (7/18/2008)
VW again clueless as the Asians eat their wurst. The Beetle was obsolete a decade before they replaced it. The replacement had oodles of teething problems. The Mexican factory produced crap, which was shipped anyway. Up until this year, their product was abysmally unreliable, along with the rest of the German stuff.
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vento97 11:29PM (7/18/2008)
Phil Gramm was right - this is a nation full of whiners. If something doesn't work perfectly 24x7x365, the complaints start to fly. Technology is gradually transforming today's men into metrosexual girlie men. Hell, most people don't drive a stick these days in order to have a free hand or two to yak on their cellphone/Blackberry/etc., or drink their lattes.
Wusses! That's why people in this country are starting to ask themselves:
"Where are we going? And why are we in a handbasket?"
J.A. 1:22PM (7/19/2008)
Hey vento97,
Phil Gramm is right in my opinion, but I think it's fair to apply his idea to VW "quality". While I might appreciate "character" in an old VW Bug, a Harley-Davidson, or an Italian car, it's another thing to put up with it an everyday transportation device.
Considering that these cars are supposedly developed by well-paid (at least before taxes) anal-retentive Germans, you would think they would be more reliable.
While a Polo is a nice car in many respects, if it is unreliable, the owner of such a car will probably not be able to fall back on the Corvette he keeps in his garage for weekends.
mr.ed 8:25AM (7/20/2008)
I has two early Beetles. They were incredibly service intensive, with constant brake, valve, steering box and clutch adjustments, and regular unsticking the heater cables. I finally found that daily opening and closing the heater doors helped. They ate mufflers like popcorn. Later, my wife wanted a Rabbit. She got a Mexican made one. Fit and finish were awful. The paint dulled and chipped under the wax, and the dealer's service dept. got rich on alignments. This legacy hadn't improved until last year for the currently imported product, according to Consumer Reports. I think a Polo size vehicle could do well, if reliable. Veedub might have to offer a Korean/GM long warranty on it to help sell it, as it won't be comparatively cheap.
Ian 3:49PM (7/18/2008)
Ironically, the GTI with the 2.0T gets better mileage than the base 2.5 5 cylinder rabbit. More power AND more efficiency! I love that engine.
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PJ 4:03PM (7/18/2008)
This is true--unfortunately, only because the 2.5 Rabbit/Jetta's mileage is so exceptionally bad for its class. IIRC, the GTI's figures are midpack among sport-compacts.
+1 on bringing the Polo Stateside. The fact that VW NA currently does not have *one single car* that hits 30 MPG highway (on gasoline) speaks volumes about how far gone their brand identity is in this country.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:26PM (7/18/2008)
Yeah, I'm not putting down the 2.0T, it's a good performance motor. But the real reason it looks so good here is because VW is badly mismanaging the engine choices in the base model.
A Cobalt SS (261HP 2.0T engine) gets better mileage (22/30) with a 5-speed stick than either the 200HP GTI w/6-speed stick (20/29), 200HP GTI with 6-speed DSG (22/29) or regular 170HP Rabbit w/5-speed stick (22/29).
simianspeedster 7:20PM (7/18/2008)
"A Cobalt SS (261HP 2.0T engine) gets better mileage (22/30)..."
I don't believe that's official yet - accoriding to Chevy's website, those are estimates for now, but they're not from the EPA. Considering that the Solstice GXP gets an official 19/28 with the same engine, I don't know if it will officially hit 22/30.
-SimianSpeedster
azzo45 8:02PM (7/18/2008)
So the Cobalt might get better mileage...
... and you have to put up with the lame Cobalt chassis. I drove the SS & the regular LT model... I'll pay more for the GTI (or the regular Rabbit) quality issues & all. VW did a nice job with the GTI... so nice I'll handle the mystery rattles & the blank looks at the VW service dept. if I got a "bad" one.
why not the LS2LS7? 8:20PM (7/18/2008)
Simian Speedster:
I got the figures from fueleconomy.gov, the EPA site.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=25184
They're listed as EPA figures there.
why not the LS2LS7? 8:22PM (7/18/2008)
azzo45:
Whatever. Go ahead and whine about the Cobalt chassis if you want.
If GM can get 22/30 from the Cobalt with a 5-speed, the VW look like chumps getting far less from all Rabbits (including the GTI) even with 6-speeds. Even with the DSG.
The point was VW isn't doing particularly well on fuel economy and can do better, not for people to whip out their complaints about the Cobalt chassis.