VW Might Launch Big SUV In The U.S.
Volkswagen is dead set to gain market share in the U.S. this year, and it’s rolling out the big guns. They might add an SUV larger than the Touareg to reach hearts, minds and wallets of American customers.
Volkswagen’s U.S. chief Jonathan Browning told the Dow Jones Newswire (via Morningstar) today that “a larger SUV with three row of seats above the Touareg could be a promising addition to the brand’s U.S. lineup to attract a broader range of customers.”
There is no such car in the current Volkswagen lineup. The Audi Q7 has seven seats.
There is more Volkswagen seems to want to take from Audi: Sales. For 2011, Browning sees Volkswagen sales to rise to 300,000 from 256,830 cars last year. For Audi, he targets “around 100,000” this year, pretty much the same Audi sold last (101, 629 units.)
Asked whether he expects Audi sales to be flat this year, Browning said he expects Audi to grow, but did not give any specific numbers.
His long-term target remains 1 million cars in the U.S., 800,000 from Volkswagen and 200,000 from Audi.
The U.S.A. remains a cash drain for Volkswagen. VW CFO Hans Dieter Poetsch said last year the company’s U.S. unit might not be profitable again until 2013. Browning said this target remains unchanged.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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With the Toureg tipping the scales around 5,000 pounds how much will the new full size weigh? Maybe VW should ask Honda and Nissan how well their full size pickups have worked out in the U.S. market.
VW, please work out the US market. The competition must be leapfrogged. Have you walked through our airports? We need four-person wide vehicles to fit three person girth. Toyota execs will be slack-jawed. "Why didn't we think of that?". Hell, why not four rows?
How 'bout selling double-wides?
You know, VW would do a lot better in the US if they dropped their dim view of US drivers and brought over their entire model and engine range that they sell elsewhere. Do they really think there's no market for the Polo, Lupo/Fox, Touran, Sharan, Passat Estate, Caddy etc here, or the good engines like the TSFI range or the punchier TDIs? Turning Toyota Beige doesn't seem like a winning strategy, but what do I know...