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GOLFMK7
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VW is on the rise.

BTDUBS

BTDUBS

The Interceptor
Location
San Jose CA
Car(s)
Fiat 500 Abarth
What is going to happen is VW is going to reintroduce the nicer interior in the next gen as that's where the market is heading. I am not worried.
 
D

designation_mi5

Ready to race!
Location
IL
It's the cycle. I wasn't too pleased by all the cost cutting but now I don't really care.

The new CC is still a budget Merc CLS, the Beetle is nice imo. Pretty sure the profits from Jetta and Passat allowed this and hopefully also lets VW make more niche vehicles--like that brilliant Bluesport.
 
lightningjack

lightningjack

Go Kart Champion
Location
Westchester, NY
Car(s)
09 GTI
Was at a VW dealer yesterday. Nice to see all the GTI's were still made in Germany. Can't say the same for any other model.
 
brian9892

brian9892

Ramblin' Wreck
Location
Atlanta
BTDUBS said:
I get that we are mad about the way VW is going about this, but I don't think it is wrong if they want to sell more cars here. They are a huge auto maker that didn't sell many vicars here because they were too expensive compared to their Japanese, American, and Korean rivals. VW will never shy away from its fan base and only pander to the typical American driver, hence why we get the Golf and GTI still. Those cars were "decontented" because they were WAY too expensive to produce and sell and this hurt sales in Europe especially and VW really made almost nothing on the MKVs they sold here. VW is only reacting to market forces which dictate that the cars that they sell need to be cheaper to produce (GOLF/GTI and Jetta) and cheaper to sell (Jetta). I get that the MKV came with more standard kit, and I thought that it made a good deal, but I still think that the MKVI is a good deal too, just not as sweet. To think that they should only pander to us enthusiasts is just narcissistic as VW is allowed to go and make money.
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This is so true. They're a company out to make money, and if this is the way they have to do it so be it. The only thing I can say is that vw should still offer some of the perks their cars used to have, such as the hids even if it means paying extra. Last i heard the gli didn't even offer hids(someone correct me if I'm wrong).
 
jimithing412

jimithing412

Common Sense Is A Myth
Location
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Car(s)
07' 5dr GTI
GLI's are NOT available with HID's. VW has announced that the MK7 Golf's & GTI's for the North American market will be built at the Puebla, Mexico facility to reduce the starting price point and increase profitability
 
D

designation_mi5

Ready to race!
Location
IL
jimithing412 said:
VW has announced that the MK7 Golf's & GTI's for the North American market will be built at the Puebla, Mexico facility to reduce the starting price point and increase profitability
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Can you link the press release or w/e source because I haven't heard this yet and searches find nothing.

Without official press release, I won't believe it just yet...

If it's not built in Germany, why wouldn't they build it at the Chattanooga plant which was designed specifically for the MQB architecture that the Golf 7 will be built on.

American Market Golf's will be different? I don't think so either. VW is going to use the MQB a lot because it was designed that way and it saves money. Why make another Golf platform when there's already a one that's cost cutting?
 
VancouverGTI

VancouverGTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Vancouver
I don't like where VW is heading here. People are into VW's partly because they have a reputation for being well thought-out in design, and equipped with thoughtful touches here and there.

What happens when people eventually realise that a VW Golf is now no more than a Toyota Corolla, and the brand's value drops?

Remember when Sony actually meant "quality"? No-one thinks that any more, surely.
 
jimithing412

jimithing412

Common Sense Is A Myth
Location
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Car(s)
07' 5dr GTI
I didn't say anything about the platform being DIFFERENT for the US. I read a blurb in a blog that it was going to be BUILT in Mexico. The Puebla plant was set up for MQB manufacturing before the US plant was even finished. The Chattanooga plant can produce 5 different models simultaneously but demand isn't even close to that need yet. Believe what you want. VW is in a race to the bottom to compete with Toyota as the #1 car maker and as a result is willing to dilute the brand to achieve that goal. They're going to build BIG, bland, boring cars for BIG bland and boring Americans. You want performance? They'll tell you to buy an Audi
 
BTDUBS

BTDUBS

The Interceptor
Location
San Jose CA
Car(s)
Fiat 500 Abarth
jimithing412 said:
I didn't say anything about the platform being DIFFERENT for the US. I read a blurb in a blog that it was going to be BUILT in Mexico. The Puebla plant was set up for MQB manufacturing before the US plant was even finished. The Chattanooga plant can produce 5 different models simultaneously but demand isn't even close to that need yet. Believe what you want. VW is in a race to the bottom to compete with Toyota as the #1 car maker and as a result is willing to dilute the brand to achieve that goal. They're going to build BIG, bland, boring cars for BIG bland and boring Americans. You want performance? They'll tell you to buy an Audi
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Ignoring enthusiasts make no sense as we are free advertising with our cars. They will still make models that cater to us.
 
lightningjack

lightningjack

Go Kart Champion
Location
Westchester, NY
Car(s)
09 GTI
BTDUBS said:
Ignoring enthusiasts make no sense as we are free advertising with our cars. They will still make models that cater to us.
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As GTI owners, we are an interesting subculture in VW. I don't know of any other car on the road that instills a camaraderie and a bond the way GTI's do. My friends find it amazing that when GTI owners pass each other we throw the dub sign, honk, nod whatever. Certainly our cars are "quirky" to say the least, but our brand loyalty is unwavering and probably is the best advertising possible.

That said, are we really the market VW cares about? The Passat, Toureg, and Jetta are their bread and butter. It seems to me VW's goal is to get as many of those cars on the road as possible to take on Toyota as Jimi pointed out, at any cost. They aren't making a huge profit on our cars, and the enthusiast market is the opposite of where they are aiming their sites. This new direction could really suck for those of us who have stuck with VW over the last decade.
 
C

chunkisagoonie

VW Lifer
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Car(s)
'97 Golf Jazz
That said, are we really the market VW cares about? The Passat, Toureg, and Jetta are their bread and butter. It seems to me VW's goal is to get as many of those cars on the road as possible to take on Toyota as Jimi pointed out, at any cost. They aren't making a huge profit on our cars, and the enthusiast market is the opposite of where they are aiming their sites. This new direction could really suck for those of us who have stuck with VW over the last decade.
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But I'm still kind of flabbergasted at how much they stripped from the base Jetta to get there. The 20+ year old 8V engine is a pretty big offender and a clear example of cost cutting gone too far. Virtually every competitor in this segment offers more power for the same money. The 2.SLOW (as us old Mk3 drivers used to call it) was a turd of a motor, even back in the 90s when the cars they were fitted to weighed several hundred pounds less. By today's standards, it's downright embarrassing. Even a Hyundai Elantra has more power, while returning better fuel economy.
 
Y

yocheckthisout

Authentic
Location
NJ
jimithing412 said:
GLI's are NOT available with HID's. VW has announced that the MK7 Golf's & GTI's for the North American market will be built at the Puebla, Mexico facility to reduce the starting price point and increase profitability
Click to expand...

What...

I have a theory, VW will only be able to live off its name for so long. They are starting to be undifferentiated. Unlike the rest of Norther America, I don't want another Camry or Accord maker.
 
lightningjack

lightningjack

Go Kart Champion
Location
Westchester, NY
Car(s)
09 GTI
They've got a looooong way to go to try an be the next Honda or Toyota. IMO, those cars sold for reliability and nothing else. VW isn't exactly tops on reliability. We all know about cam followers, coil packs, DV issues. Hell my 2002 GTI had the coil recall, and my 2009 had the same TSB. We all put up with these issues because we love other aspects of the cars. Take those away to sell affordable cars, and it seems like the beginning of the end to me.
 
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