Volkswagen Looking To Overtake Honda In The United States

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Fans of Volkswagen products who hoarded canned goods and ammunition in anticipation of the VWpocalypse – the launch of “Americanized” versions of the Jetta and Passat – may be unhappy with how their new product lineup is shaking out. But the market is responding favorably. The Volkswagen Jetta outsold the Hyundai Elantra in January (the two finished 11th and 10th in 2011 respectively) and the Passat spends half as much time on dealer lots compared to the industry average.

The United States has long been the key to Volkswagen’s goal of becoming the largest, most profitable automaker, due to its size and Europe’s increasingly unstable future. Domestic production and the “prestige” associated with German vehicles is helping Volkswagen, but their strategy of unseating Honda, which seems to be predicated on the company continuing to falter, may be flawed; the 2012 Civic, which has been pilloried in the automotive press, outsold the Jetta by a 2:1 ratio in January. Both models have endured criticism from the automotive press, though consumers have yet to adjust their buying habits accordingly. Honda’s poor showing in 2011 (with market share dropping from 11 to 8 percent in 2011) was attributable to disrupted production in Japan and Thailand, but those issues should sort themselves out in 2012.

An Automotive News article on the topic suggests that one way VW may be able to make up some market share is through the sale of TDI diesels if gas prices hit $5/gallon. But with diesel market share resting comfortably at 0.5 percent in 2011, it looks like TDIs will have a negligible impact on VW’s sales.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
6 of 112 comments
  • Rtoddyoung Rtoddyoung on Mar 01, 2012

    My significant other drives a 2010 Jettta. I drive a 2011 Civic. If I could financially unload my POS Civic and get into a 2012 Jetta, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Nice ride, nice handling, and comfortable. I mean, should a 1-year old car rattle like a 70's Chevy? I don't care if my Honda is as reliable as butter-on-toast. It's boring, the interior materials are Wal-Mart cheap, and it's boring as hell. I only bought the damn thing for the gas mileage.

    • Luke42 Luke42 on Mar 03, 2012

      Please report back to us a year after the warranty expires on the Jetta....! The Jetta I owned was great to drive. It was just lousy to own. The Prius in my driveway is the opposite -- it's wonderful to own, but not particularly fun to drive. The Prius is a much better car, for my purposes, my wife, son, and I need reliable transportation that gets us to work/daycare every day.

  • Numbers_Matching Numbers_Matching on Mar 01, 2012

    I bought new - one of the last mkIII GTI VR6s - a '99 model. It was crude and rude but damn was it quick! Drove it till ~240,000 miles and SOLD it for $5500 7 years later. The only issue I had was the coil pack seal that I repaired myself with some JB Weld.

  • SuperACG SuperACG on Mar 01, 2012

    Well, since Luke42 posted his disdain for his Jetta TDI, and Sundowner may likely follow close behind, I'll post my experience with my MK4 Jetta TDI, which was not perfect, but a very enjoyable 4 years/100,000 miles. I bought my 2000 Jetta TDI in 2004 with a low 28,000 miles, an off-lease, verified by VW with a Certified Warranty. The car was in horrible condition, either lot damage, or former owner abuse, but it was all fixed and I bought it, even adding another 48,000 miles of extended warranty because I knew I would drive the hell out of it having a 120 mile round-trip commute. Within the first few months of ownership, the front subframe broke. This was not covered by VW Certified, or my Extended Warranty, but since I worked at a VW dealer, they gave me a pretty heavy discount on repairs, and the car was perfect. The Certified warranty did replace the front passenger door lock because it would unlock sporadically, and it was VERY hard to reproduce that issue. I maintained the car to factory-specified standards, but had to replace the glow plugs twice. I believe 2 went bad and I replaced them, then later on the other 2 went bad, so I replaced all of them. That was the one repair I don't fully remember other than just doing it twice. I bought 2 sets of tires for it, but NEVER did the brakes. I took that car on many road trips, including Route 66. I never felt uncomfortable sitting for excessively long periods of time. The suspension was tight, but not stiff. I could take freeway on ramps at 65-70 MPH regularly just using the cruise control. The Cruise Control was SPOT ON. It maintained speed even up hills without hard down-shifting like on my Fords. The car met its demise in Ohio while on a road trip. It got hit in the side by a red light runner 4 years-and-a-day after I purchased it and 129,000 miles on the clock. Instant total loss. I might still be driving that car if not for the crash, but for the miles I drove, my chances of a collision were greater. I haven't owned a better car. No other car gave me comfort, safety, economy, and a sexy exterior package. The only car I think would have been better would be the Jetta Wagon with a Diesel and stickshift (The TTAC Holy Grail). Yes, my Jetta had issues, but not as bad as others anecdotal evidence, and for the mileage I drove it, I'd say the issues were minimal. (The front subframe incident did not make me swear off VWs, but did make me swear off Extended Warranties.)

    • Diesel only Diesel only on Mar 01, 2012

      To everyone. I am knew to this site and a new VW 2011 Golf TDI driver. I never thought about owning a diesel, but now, as my site name suggests, it will be hard to have another gasser. My wife and I just got back from Destin, Fl. Our first major trip with this car. It was truly amazing. With the back seats down, we got both our golf clubs, two carry ons, gym bag, cooler, and snacks, every thing we needed. And best of all 47 mpg. Average speed 65. We get 40 mpg around town. Try that in a Chevy Volt!!! Have 8000+ and is really fun to drive. 6 speed manuel shift. And only need to change oil every 10,000 miles. Great car.

  • Lokki Lokki on Mar 03, 2012

    I just can't screw up the courage for VW love. Just got back from the Vet's where I was entertained with the problems that one of the groomers is having with her 2006 Jetta. It's been back to the VW dealer where she bought it 4 times in three months. Latest problem: engine sludge. Yeah it was used, but man......I just can't get past ALL the horror stories I hear. A professor friend bought one for his wife a couple years back. Has now dumped and won't even talk about it beyond "Never again". Acnedotes aren't data but they sure are scary when they're first hand

Next