[Guest]

I know the Passat's getting on a bit, but IMO, it's still the best car in its class, and its still CR's top-rated sedan. I'm surprised sales of that model are falling.
From AutoNews:

quote:[HR][/HR]
Reuters / December 03, 2002
FRANKFURT -- German automaker Volkswagen said on Tuesday its sales in the United States fell 17.3 percent in November to 22,702 units compared with the year-ago period.
Between January and November of this year Volkswagen, which is at a weak point in its product cycle thanks to its ageing Golf and Passat models, said it had sold a total of 312,260 vehicles in North America compared with 326,285 a year ago.[HR][/HR]​

 

[Surf Green]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (bgluckman)

How long could VW sales keep rising?
I think it's a good thing.
The NASDAQ taught us something about Unsustainable growth in 2000 after tripling in a little over a year...

 

[OM607]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (Surf Green)

Well at the very least we beat Ford who's sales dropped by 20%. Not something to be proud of considering a bunch of import brands sales increased.

 

[SuperGroove]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (bgluckman)

I would assume that ALL car sales fell, and not just VW.
October might have been surprisingly, but it was by no means an end to this recession(if that's what we're in)

 

[Traderx25]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (SuperGroove)

I think partly due to:
- Infiniti G35 ($30-35k) That's Passat V6 4motion's price range.
- Nissan Altima 3.5 Yup, for $30k, this Passat-like looking sedan is everywhere.
- low interest finance rate by domestic makers.
- Passat needs a super-charged or sportier model like the BMW 330Xi
If we look at the auto industry, with so many more cars showing up with more and more HP, hey HP is in right?
The Altima 3.5 has 260HP and blows by the Passat easily, then you got the Infiniti G35 which just snapped up several Car of the Year awards.
Really, I think VW made a mistake by releasing W8 and not really doing much designing around the car. If VW did what Infiniti did, like put out a Sedan & coupe versions of the Passat, make a sportier version to challenge the G35/330/Cadillac CTS then sales wouldn't go down this much...

 

[Guest]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (Traderx25)

In November, a few companies did see sales increases: Honda, BMW, Hyunda/Kia, Suzuki and Nissan/Infiniti. Of course, all these companies have new models, hence the sales increases.

 

[ASurroca]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (Traderx25)

quote:[HR][/HR]- Nissan Altima 3.5 Yup, for $30k, this Passat-like looking sedan is everywhere.[HR][/HR]​

Really? I see Altimas everywhere, but every single one of them is a 2.5. I make a point of looking at the badging, and I have yet to see even one 3.5 on the road. I think people are buying more entry-level Altimas than fully loaded ones.
Also, a lot of companies had new models arrive recently. Nissan had the 350Z (and before that the Altima). Infiniti had the G35 Coupe and M45 (and before that the G35) . BMW had the Z4 (and before that the MINI and 7-Series). Volkswagen hasn't had a new model (unless you count 337 and Turbo S) in years, and the Passat was facelifted almost 2 years ago. 2003 should be vastly different for VW: We'll see the New Beetle Convertible, the Touareg, and the Phaeton... I think the vert and Touareg are going to bring massive sales to VW next year.

 

[Guest]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

quote:[HR][/HR]I think the vert and Touareg are going to bring massive sales to VW next year.[HR][/HR]​

Massive sales for a convertible and a $45,000 SUV? Not likely.
At best, VW's sales will remain flat. Remember, the small sales gains these vehicles will bring in will be negated by the losses by the ever-aging mainstay models (Passat, Golf, Jetta). Additionally, CR's new ratings for the Golf and Jetta are sure to hurt sales even further.

 

[Nessal]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

Not to mention that the reliability of these other companies cars are much higher then Vw's. Might I add that their stealerships aren't as bad as Vw's and also might I add that they have very good warranties on them.

 

[Traderx25]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

quote:[HR][/HR]
Really? I see Altimas everywhere, but every single one of them is a 2.5. I make a point of looking at the badging, and I have yet to see even one 3.5 on the road. I think people are buying more entry-level Altimas than fully loaded ones.
Also, a lot of companies had new models arrive recently. Nissan had the 350Z (and before that the Altima). Infiniti had the G35 Coupe and M45 (and before that the G35) . BMW had the Z4 (and before that the MINI and 7-Series). Volkswagen hasn't had a new model (unless you count 337 and Turbo S) in years, and the Passat was facelifted almost 2 years ago. 2003 should be vastly different for VW: We'll see the New Beetle Convertible, the Touareg, and the Phaeton... I think the vert and Touareg are going to bring massive sales to VW next year.
[HR][/HR]​

In NYC, you see Altima 3.5 a lot. Last year I got smoked by a stock 3.5 on the highway in my MK3 GTI VR6, my modded VR6 has problems keeping up with the Altima 3.5 we shot up all the way up to 120mph+ I couldn't pull even within 3 car distance. On the curves, even with my H&R suspension, the Altima pulled out of the turns faster than me. I don't know how many Vdubs can pull on the Altima, vs the Passat is no contest.

 

[tjl]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

quote:[HR][/HR]2003 should be vastly different for VW: We'll see the New Beetle Convertible, the Touareg, and the Phaeton... I think the vert and Touareg are going to bring massive sales to VW next year.
[HR][/HR]​

The Beetle convertible will essentially replace the discontinued Cabrio. The Toureg is a bit on the pricey side compared to other SUVs. And nothing in the Phaeton's price range sells that many units. The mainstay of the sales in the US will still be Jettas, Passats, Golfs, and Beetles.

 

[ASurroca]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (tjl)

quote:[HR][/HR]The Beetle convertible will essentially replace the discontinued Cabrio. The Toureg is a bit on the pricey side compared to other SUVs. And nothing in the Phaeton's price range sells that many units. The mainstay of the sales in the US will still be Jettas, Passats, Golfs, and Beetles.[HR][/HR]​

The New Beetle Convertible is expected to sell 30k units, where the Cabrio sold, what, like 5k-10k per year? And the Touareg happens to be in the middle of the price-range. The 220hp V6 is expected to start at $35K (compared to the X5 3.0i's $40K) and the V8 is supposed go for around $45K (compared to the X5 4.4i's $50K). And it should be noted that in the upcoming Car&Driver review, the Touareg owned every other SUV in its class, period. That is not overpriced by any means. The Phaeton, I agree, won't make even a ripple (it's only there so VW can get a foot in the market for the time being). Actually, IIRC the Passat is on the verge of outselling the Jetta and VW's average sales price gravitates near $30k as it is? I think the Touareg is going to bring the massive sales I speak of. If the industry situation doesn't get worse, I'd expect VW to get near or reach 400k units for 2003.

 

[BBSturbo]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

Nissan Altima 3.5 Yup, for $30k, this Passat-like looking sedan is everywhere.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------quote
Yup its all over the place but looks nothin like a Passat.
I think partly the sales decrease is due to an aging model line and dismal reliability. I think the slump will prolly continue until the MKV is released because the NB sales have been slumping for a while now a 2.slow in the convertible doesn't help it either.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (BBSturbo)

Volkswagen will get some new life injected into it with the NB Convertible and Touareg for the next year and half. The NB Convertible with the 1.8T will be out next spring in time for nice weather so the 2.slow shouldn't be an issue (watch how many people buy them with the weaker engine anyway).
The delay in the new Passat is proving fatal for VW in many ways. The existing Passat is now six years old and while it is still holding its own fairly well, it is behind the curve with all the recent brand-new competition (new Accord, new Camry, new Altima, new Mazda 6). The B6 Passat was supposed to originally be introduced this year but was pushed back due to delays till 2004 in Europe and 2005 here in the U.S. The new car will be quite a bit larger and even better than the existing one, but it is too bad VW can't stay on track to get projects completed on time. Pischetsreider is reportedly not happy about this and has put new operational guidelines in place to get projects under control in the future. We'll see...
The next Golf and Jetta won't be out here till January 2005 either, so there is a long-wait ahead.
The current Jetta will get a VERY mild facelift next year: new trunk design, new tailamps, chrome accents on the rub strips all around (currently can be found on certain German Bora models) and other miscellaneous things. Nothing too big though that would make a significant difference in sales in my opinion.
Once new models start coming though, there will be quite a few of the with a Passat Sedan and Wagon, Jetta Sedan, Wagon and Coupe Convertible with folding hardtop, GTI and Golf MPV. The W12 and V10 TDI Touareg models in 2004 along with new 100hp PD TDI engines in the Golf and Jetta for 2004 and a 130hp PD TDI in the Passat for 2004.
I'm also going to go out on a limb and predict price increases next year in anticipation of price increases in the next generation cars.
-jamie

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (ASurroca)

quote:[HR][/HR]And the Touareg happens to be in the middle of the price-range. The 220hp V6 is expected to start at $35K (compared to the X5 3.0i's $40K) and the V8 is supposed go for around $45K (compared to the X5 4.4i's $50K).[HR][/HR]​

While it isn't necessarily overpriced, it is nonetheless a pricey vehicle. There are many well equipped mid-size SUVs available for ~$30k or so. The Touareg isn't one of them. Granted, you get what you pay for, but still, VW would probably move many more units if they the base model for under $30k.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (CanuckPal)

quote:[HR][/HR]And the Touareg happens to be in the middle of the price-range. The 220hp V6 is expected to start at $35K (compared to the X5 3.0i's $40K) and the V8 is supposed go for around $45K (compared to the X5 4.4i's $50K).
While it isn't necessarily overpriced, it is nonetheless a pricey vehicle. There are many well equipped mid-size SUVs available for ~$30k or so. The Touareg isn't one of them. Granted, you get what you pay for, but still, VW would probably move many more units if they the base model for under $30k.[HR][/HR]​

The Touareg is a luxury SUV, not a Ford Explorer/Jeep Cherokee competitor. See the latest Car & Driver for an idea of where it fits in.
-jamie

 

[Hajduk]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (CanuckPal)

quote:[HR][/HR].. but still, VW would probably move many more units if they the base model for under $30k.[HR][/HR]​

But would VW make as much money??

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (vwvortex1)

quote:[HR][/HR]The Touareg is a luxury SUV, not a Ford Explorer/Jeep Cherokee competitor. See the latest Car & Driver for an idea of where it fits in.
[HR][/HR]​

I realize that, but since this thread is about sales figures, I'm simply pointing out that the sales volume of the Touareg in NA won't be huge becuase of the way it is positioned.

Do you know what kind of features will be standard or optional on the "basic" Touareg? Will you be able to get a model with manual cloth seats and no sunroof? Or will all models be relatively loaded?

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (CanuckPal)

quote:[HR][/HR]Do you know what kind of features will be standard or optional on the "basic" Touareg? Will you be able to get a model with manual cloth seats and no sunroof? Or will all models be relatively loaded?[HR][/HR]​

All models will be well equipped. Cloth isn't even an option. Leatherette is the base material.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: VW US sales fall in November (vwvortex1)

Last question: will the V6 offer a manual transmission option in North America?