VW's US market saloon will be sold as a hybrid by summer 2012, a company source has revealed.
The new car, codenamed NMS (new mid-sized sedan), is set to go on sale at the end of 2011 and will also be available with the same 2.5-litre diesel that's offered in US-market Jettas.
VW is keen to push diesel power in the US and making the NMS diesel-powered is seen as key to the strategy.
The NMS is designed to boost VW's appeal in America, where it had been underperforming because of overpriced and undersized cars. It will also be made in a new factory in Tennessee to offset currency fluctuations.
VW insiders have also revealed that they are looking into a long-wheelbase Tiguan SUV to make that more appealing to US buyers.
Chas Hallett
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Re: VW's US saloon to go hybrid
My apologies, I was trying to be more humorous than I ended up coming across. Everyone knows that if you shoot deer/moose/cariboo you need a pick-up truck, a checked shirt and a baseball cap. Jeff Foxworthy is my hero y'all...
The interest in European cars, diesels, quality compact cars etc varies massively across the states. Generally if you're an East or West coaster you'll be more interested in fuel economy, smaller cars and a quality car. If you're in the interior you're more likely to be going for the truck/suv route. Again, a generalisation, but based on sales.
The current Jetta is a cracking car. I think the Polo could do well over here, but they'd probably end up stripping so much out of it to make it fit the price bracket that it wouldn't be worth it (it'd probably end up far more expensive than the Golf City they sell in Canada, a mk IV golf!) as you'd lose the quality and refinement to such an extent they'd be no reason to choose it over a fiesta/yaris etc. Now, if North America was actually prepared to pay money for a decent product that would be different, but my current car over here cost the equivelent of maybe £14,000 for a civic sized saloon with 180bhp, 180lb ft of torque, an autobox (cvt), lots of kit and a hard, scratchy interior :) (still significantly better than the US spec Civic though!)
Re: VW's US saloon to go hybrid
Well, AS an American who avidly reads this site, I take umbrage that ALL Americans can be lumped together in such a RED NECK fashion. There are many of us who have waited for years for our domestic car companies to bring the smaller, more efficient cars from their European lines to our shores. VW is simply trying to appease Americans who don't care for the European flavor of their cars. However, the Jetta is a very popular car in America, has been since the MKII arrived on the scene in the 1980's. I myself have owned a MKII and MKIII Jetta and look forward to VW eventually bringing the Polo stateside as their cars are getting too big. BTW I own neither a gun or fishing rod and would never put one deer in my trunk, let alone two! (That's what the roof rack is for, silly!)
Re: VW's US saloon to go hybrid
Quite.
The 2.5 is the standard petrol 5cyl unit.