New VW Jetta Hauls Ass (or Something)

by Robert Farago

Published: September 2nd, 2009

Automotive Traveler’s Rich Truesdell went a hunting down into Death Valley and caught this lardy-looking VeeDub pulling a trailer through the desert. Rich reckons the German automaker may be planning on building not one but two new sedans down in its Chatanooga, TN plant: XL and XXL. We shall see.

Robert Farago

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4 of 16 comments

Dingram01 on Sep 02, 2009
It’s the trend of high-beltline designs - the low roof comes with the package. Actually, my car's roof isn't any lower than any other car I've driven. And surely the styling mavens wouldn't have been put off by continuing the windshield glass panel a bit higher up into the roof? I've got to believe there's something structural that limits the size of the windshield panel! On the subject of the high waistline, is it possible that side-impact performance considerations make shoulder-height windowsills preferable? Just thinking out loud.

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Mpresley on Sep 02, 2009
autotronic : I invite those reading this to click over to Automotive Traveler to take a look at the larger hi-res photos we have posted and leave comments on what you think it is. I invite you to go easier on your watermark so we can actually see the photo, and not just read your Web URL.

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WalterRohrl on Sep 02, 2009

mikey : September 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am So we can assume the trailer is full of spare parts,tools and sevice manuals. Maybe a list of local dealers,and an air mattress to sleep on. All the requirements needed for a VW road trip. Mikey - The air mattress is actually for the mechanic himself (part of the Extended Range Service Package option)

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Th009 on Sep 03, 2009

@autotronic, based on the photos on your site, I'm pretty sure it is indeed the New Midsize Sedan (NMS), aka next-gen Passat, which will be built in Tennessee. The New Compact Sedan (NCS), aka next-gen Jetta, has been confirmed to be produced in Puebla, where the current-generation Jettas are being built. Both the NMS and NCS, as well as the new Jetta, are being built on the MQB (Modularer Quer-Baukasten) architecture, which replaces the PQ35/PQ46 etc platforms, scales from the Polo to Passat and reaches across half a dozen brands.

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