How VW veered off target of US sales goal

[AlRozzi]

The article does not explain how VW veered off target, only that it won't reach the target.

 

 

I say VW was never "on" target. It is one thing to say you will sell X number of vehicles but you still must offer what people want to buy. What might work in Europe or in China won't necessarily work in North America.

 

 

 

 

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150126/RETAIL01/301269949/how-vw-veered-off-target

 

 

 

 

Once doable, U.S. sales goal seems out of reach

 

DETROIT -- Volkswagen's ambitious U.S. sales goals, now drifting out of reach, once looked so tantalizingly close.

 

Back in 2007, the automaker vowed to crank up U.S. sales of its VW brand to 800,000 vehicles a year by 2018. It was a dizzying sum, requiring more than a tripling of its volume at that time. Many in the industry scoffed.

 

But with steady precision, VW got the skeptics to take a second look. It launched a lower-priced, Mexico-made Jetta and built a plant in Chattanooga that began churning out a new Passat that better fit American tastes and budgets. VW sales doubled between 2009 and 2012, to nearly 440,000, lifting hopes that 800,000 was doable.

 

"It was amazing," said Wade Walker, owner of a VW store near Montpelier, Vt., recalling those heady days. "It was a magic mix. The dealers were excited. Customers were flocking to the vehicles."

 

Today, the magic is gone. Competition has heated up, the Jetta and Passat have cooled off, and with back-to-back yearly declines...

[robertlane]

The article does not explain how VW veered off target, only that it won't reach the target.

 

 

I say VW was never "on" target. It is one thing to say you will sell X number of vehicles but you still must offer what people want to buy. What might work in Europe or in China won't necessarily work in North America.

 

 

 

 

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150126/RETAIL01/301269949/how-vw-veered-off-target

 

 

 

 

Once doable, U.S. sales goal seems out of reach

 

DETROIT -- Volkswagen's ambitious U.S. sales goals, now drifting out of reach, once looked so tantalizingly close.

 

Back in 2007, the automaker vowed to crank up U.S. sales of its VW brand to 800,000 vehicles a year by 2018. It was a dizzying sum, requiring more than a tripling of its volume at that time. Many in the industry scoffed.

 

But with steady precision, VW got the skeptics to take a second look. It launched a lower-priced, Mexico-made Jetta and built a plant in Chattanooga that began churning out a new Passat that better fit American tastes and budgets. VW sales doubled between 2009 and 2012, to nearly 440,000, lifting hopes that 800,000 was doable.

 

"It was amazing," said Wade Walker, owner of a VW store near Montpelier, Vt., recalling those heady days. "It was a magic mix. The dealers were excited. Customers were flocking to the vehicles."

 

Today, the magic is gone. Competition has heated up, the Jetta and Passat have cooled off, and with back-to-back yearly declines...

 

Nice to see you on here, Al.

 

For some reason, VW just cannot get their U.S. house in order enough for their products and sales to click. This doesn't seem to the problem with the VW brand elsewhere though.

[probowler]

Is this the same "Mexican Jetta? that everyone was POd about because VW gutted the quality?

 

Good riddance to VW for talking the "Cheap route"

[silvrsvt]

The thing they forgot was to capitalize on people thinking they where buying the cheap mans BMW or MB. The Jetta and Passat styling was down right boring and so watered down that no one took notice of them. The VW CC is a nice looking Sedan..maybe they should have empathized on that, instead of trying to be a Walmart brand trying to appeal to everyone.

[jasonj80]

Well the fact they have 0 competitive SUV's would do it. Look at Audi, the huge growth has been in the Q3, Q5, Q7 market.

Edited January 27, 2015 by jasonj80

[bzcat]

Well the fact they have 0 competitive SUV's would do it. Look at Audi, the huge growth has been in the Q3, Q5, Q7 market.

 

Exactly the problem... CUV is the only growing segments of the market in North America and VW does not have any competitive products.

[atomcat68]

And an "Americanized" CUV would make more sense than an "Americanized" Jetta which goes against their customer's expectations of what a Jetta should be.