Comments on: Updated sketch: Accord/Camry-fighting Volkswagen New Mid-Market Sedan

By: superman

superman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:57:49 +0000

hey ktulu, judging from your thoughtless comments and the very lack of reading/writing skills, you fit the “retarded imbedciele” mold rather well. so does that mean you buy “amry’s” and accords?

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:24:46 +0000

Translation:

“Only a retarded imbecile would buy a Camry or Accord instead of a VW. The Camry is NOT reliable. It kills people! The Passat is great. JD Powers and Consumer Reports are idiots. VW will be the #1 brand in sales, because Toyota is killing itself and GM is trying to sell fewer, better cars. VWs are reliable, and to say they are not is libel. Or slander. The Accord is full sized now. Many Americans are not smart enough to buy a VW. The Jetta is also better than Civic or Corolla. Americans don’t want the Routan.”

A friend of mine has a Routan. It’s pretty nice. But it cost him a pretty penny, and it still doesn’t lay a full sheet of plywood flat down inside.

By: zoomzoomer

zoomzoomer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:33:10 +0000

JakeK.. actually, I think it would be better if the US replacement for the Passat were to use parts from the current one, particularly the engines.. from the stretched-Jetta mules we’re seeing, and the specs they’re hinting at, the NMS might actually be based on a stretched Golf/Jetta platform and will feature that same anemic I5 motor not currently offered in any Passat!

By: ktulu

ktulu — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:08:57 +0000

only a retarded imbedciele would buy ac amry accord sted a VW.

da camry is NOT reliable. IT KILLS EEPS!

da [passat is gr8

jdp & cr R idioticv

VW will be da #1 brand in sales, bcuz toyota is killing itself & GM is trying 2 cell sfewer, better cars.

VW’s R seliable, & 2 say day ain’t is libel. Or slander.

da acoord is full-sixed now,.

many americans are not smartb enuff w buy a VW

da jeytta is also better’n civic or corolla

americans don’t want da routan

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:25:49 +0000

ahnuconun – We also don’t get the better models because we don’t “appreciate the neuances of the current Passat” so I really question how well this car is going to be built. My guess is that, like the Golf/GTI – it will be reusing parts from the current Passat to save money.

Even though I looked at buying a new Mazda6 – it’s the same situation. They made the US model cheaper and bigger with less emphasis on quality and more on quanity. When VW does this, they may sell some more, but they are cheapening the brand to a non-repairable level. I’ve lost trust in VW.

By: And The Winner Is...

And The Winner Is... — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:09:18 +0000

Bigger cup holders! Yeah!

VW still hasn’t figured out that Americans don’t want Americanized VW’s. Remember the Rabbits they built in here in the States with the burgundy interiors?

They don’t seem to learn. This has big fail written all over it.

By: krautninja

krautninja — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:56:53 +0000

the problem with VW’s lineup is it doesnt particularly match anyones offerings which is why they are changing things up. The jetta is bigger and mor expensive than civic and corolla, (albeit it comes with more offerings) which is why they promised to make it smaller and cheaper to compete. The passat is supposed to be a camry fighter, but once again, is slightly bigger and more expensive with more options. If i remember correctly they originally stated the plan was to intoroduce this US only model as the new appropriate mid market selection, and the passat in america, virtually would be deleted or replaced by the upscale passat CC. Which isnt a bad idea. even tho the other cars in the CC price range have more room on the inside, the CC driving dynamics, fit and finish are above the competition.

By: ahnuconun

ahnuconun — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:05:19 +0000

I worked for VW for 14 years and I can tell you that one of the reasons why I left the brand is because in everything they did corporately the message the dealers got was: North America is a secondary or tertiary market and you’re not worth our time. The dealers were crying out for models better suited to our market for years – and what did we get? The City Golf and City Jetta – rehashed 2005 models that were known for their issues since they debuted in 1999 and nothing was fixed. Then, finally, after years of losing customers because we didn’t have a mini-van, we got: the Routan – too little, too late. Now they are all like: We wanna be the volume leaders in North America (nya, nya, nya)… Douche-bags, you’ll never get the sixties back.

By: Bankruptcy2009

Bankruptcy2009 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:46:18 +0000

All I say is good luck VW because Consumer Reports was just published and guess who was Dead Last VW in Reliability and Quality. That is not very Honda or Toyota like. You need to start with the F_U_N_D_A_M_E_N_T_A_L_S. Get them right ….then see about competing with the Likes of your asian competitors. But the only one really moving up on the Asian Competitors is Ford Motor. their doing very well. Its embarrassing being beaten by Hyundai

By: zoomzoomer

zoomzoomer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:57:09 +0000

The next (home market) Passat will likely be more “premium” but not much larger than the current model, since VW’s goal seems to be to encroach into Audi territory.. so I’d imagine it will slot above CC and below Phaeton.. which means pricing it against the Accord and Camry in the US would be next to impossible. So like Honda, Mazda and others before it, VW is planning to instead offer a larger, less premium sedan unique to the US to slot BELOW the CC. Unfortunately for VW, their customers are generally more car-savvy than the typical Toyota appliance buyer.. and IMO are less likely to be swayed by an Americanized Passat replacement.

By: Genesis101

Genesis101 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:35:17 +0000

I just can’t see a Passat going against a Maxima! The styling of the VW just doesn’t seem to fit in that category. They need to make the Passat into the Skoda Superb and then create this for camry fighter. Now I can see a Superb going against an Azera or Maxima.

By: AutoCritical

AutoCritical — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:58:45 +0000

This seems like a pretty in-offensive design. It isn’t dynamic, or powerfully aggressive. It just seems a bit more serious, and in comparison to the Toyota and Honda, I hope this will be more refined.

By: Genesis101

Genesis101 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:37:38 +0000

Why couldn’t VW do this in the first place? And why in the hell is the passat so expensive? Who or what exactly was this car trying to compete with(Passat)? Not the Azera I dont hope!

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:16:58 +0000

Stinky007 – You ever look at the numbers of VW’s sold in the US of A? Guess what, it’s less than the amount of what Kia sold last month. It’s actually less than the amount Pontiac was selling just in August. VW isn’t setting the USA sales charts on fire – and that’s from a VW fan.

ChuckTown86 – It’s Sonata/Azera to be more accurate, but point is valid.

By: 04focus

04focus — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:55:47 +0000

They’re probably not making this below the existing Passat. There’s probably a new Passat for the rest of the world, and US and China get the NMS badged as a Passat. Same strategy as Honda, really. My guess is that it’s called NMS internally to not confuse the engineers as there will be a next generation European Passat as well.

This can work. The CC can stay as the flagship and yet be smaller than the US Passat: See Nissan and Altima/Maxima:

Altima: 189.8″ long
Maxima: 190.6″ long

Wheelbase: identical.

By: ChuckTown86

ChuckTown86 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:45:16 +0000

When you think about it, VW adding a car to slot below the Passat makes prefect sense when talking about the US market. Most mainstream brands have a mid-size car and a full-size car.

Ford: Fusion, Tarus
Chevy: Malibu, Imapla
Toyota: Camry, Avalon
Nissan: Altima, Maxima
Hyundai: Sonata, Genesis

Honda is the only brand that does not offer a full-size car under the Honda name. VW seems to be figuring out where they stand in the market.

By: Smegley Wanxalot

Smegley Wanxalot — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:30:32 +0000

Johnny, jews and muslims alike will agree that VW’s are unreliable as hell. I can’t fault LWA for stating the obvious – it’s his adherence to dictatorial doctrine that I fault him for.

By: Stinky007

Stinky007 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:58:03 +0000

VW is just swimming in success right now as the economic downturn hasn’t affected them much. So much so they absolutely make no sense when talking about their future. I’ve heard so much corporate wishful thinking from VAG in the last couple of month that if I were a stock holder I would think that VAG is going to take over the world.

By: scratchy

scratchy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:56:08 +0000

this new sedan will be US only . maybe they will pull the Passat sedan and wagon out of the US and only leave the CC version.

By: ChuckTown86

ChuckTown86 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:54:46 +0000

IMO, in terms of price and equipment, the Passat seem to have been geared towards the Avalon rather than the Camry. If anything, the Passat is either going to be replacemed by this NMS with a dramatic price reduction and let the CC become the flagship, or the Passat is going to grow in size to better attack the Avalon/ES and maybe even the LaCrosse. It will be interesting to see how all this will play out with the Polo proposed for US sale and the Jetta getting a bit larger.

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:54:37 +0000

“The only thing this is going to end up competing with is other Volkswagens” – They pay you on here JohnnyC? That’s pretty much the entire VW line’s competition in a nutshell. That and maybe some Volvos (ironicly for me)

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:52:16 +0000

Leftwing – they used to have a longer warranty, my GTI (which is bye-bye tonight)) has a 4 year 50k one. They changed it in 08 and tried to make up with the shorter warranty by offering free maintence. You want to know a reason why I’m trading it in? Because I’m going to be at 40k in a couple months and if it would get near 50 the value goes to sh!t and repairs past warranty is a true nightmare.

By: jl328i

jl328i — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:46:46 +0000

I dont understand why VW are calling this the new mid market sedan. The Passat is the mid market sedan, why isnt this just the new Passat? Its the exact same idea, i guess VW just think they should give it a different name?

By: 85ZingoGTR

85ZingoGTR — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:41:45 +0000

@ Borat- Is the quality of these cars really that bad? I want to get a VW but I hear about electrical issues with them. But my aunt and cousin has VWs and they dont have problems.

By: reedfast

reedfast — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:28:01 +0000

if they could only make their engines run longer, they could be the #1 car brand in the world.

By: Borat

Borat — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:21:28 +0000

Johnny and I agree with both also. Secretly I can tell you that Jews and Arabs love pussy, but there is a long way from pussy to world peace.

By: Borat

Borat — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:19:55 +0000

Fast backward to Passat of previous vintage. It was truly believed to be Camry/Accord fighter. It was recommended by Consumer Report(!) after first year of production. It handled great (I almost bought one) was slightly underpowered by 1.8L turbo, but was fun to drive. After 3 years of production it joined other VW brethren on “crap” perch in JD Power and Consumer Report. I understand what VW wants to do, I just don’t seem to grasp how. They have the best appealing interior and their past models were good looking (this one a bit bizarre for my taste) and only problem remained is quality. I did not read word “quality” once in this article. Perhaps something lost in translation or VW still has it head where GM and Chryco had(have?) theirs.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:17:19 +0000

Holy sh*t… Smegley agreed with leftwing on something. Can peace in the middle east be far behind?

By: 85ZingoGTR

85ZingoGTR — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:56:36 +0000

I heard they were going to be rid of the passat, move the Jetta up in size so that it competes with the Camry and Accord, and that’s about it. So we could be looking at the next generation Jetta.

By: Smegley Wanxalot

Smegley Wanxalot — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:55:42 +0000

I think the CC looks like a mess outside. I get the point about what they wanted to do, but the front end looks like crap, the rear is portly and nebulous, and the greenhouse flow into the rear deck is awkward. LWA nailed it on the quality comments too. You’d have to be nuts to pick up a VW used. They need a Hyundai-like warranty (10yr/100k) that is transferable. Even then I doubt I’d have doubts, but pulling that their warranty from 4/48 to 3/36 was nuts.

By: writeeddie

writeeddie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:45:03 +0000

How about just keep the CC at middle upper price range and call this new 4 door $20K mainstream the NEW Passat?? People already know this brand and cross shop. What’s stopping them from buying more Europe-built Passat (instead, chose Accord/Camry) tend to be the high entry price.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:42:39 +0000

The problem with the CC is it’s very cramped inside… at least by North American standards. It is not a one size fits all kind of car to say the least.

By: writeeddie

writeeddie — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:42:08 +0000

It seemed as every car company have some huge sales goal for the upcoming year. From Audi, BMW, to VW. … either go up-market or down-market. Who are they planned on taking market shares from?? Are we killing another one (or more) car brands in the near future?? How about lowering the driving age to 13?? We will instantly create many more drivers right away…hmmm (GM calling Washington lobbyists? anyone?)

By: superman

superman — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:40:54 +0000

Many tried. All failed.

By: JSi

JSi — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:26:36 +0000

As we all know, the final car will look nothing like the sketch but if they go from the sketch and make it look at least a little bit like it, i think this would be a brilliant car, just like the CC i thought that would be a more succesful car but i don’t see many around, it’s a great looking car!