Next-Generation Jetta to Launch in December: Volkswagen CEO
Lost amid the automaker’s newfound focus on bringing as many utility vehicles to global customers as possible, Volkswagen’s stalwart Jetta soldiers on without a diesel option, wearing more or less the same duds it donned for 2011. A mild — some would say unnoticeable — refresh came in 2016, but the Jetta’s U.S. sales have continued to slide at a remarkably steady rate ever since the current generation’s debut.
Naturally, Volkswagen wants to arrest the plunge. As part of its newly crafted product strategy, the automaker plans to find time for a new Jetta among all the crossovers.
In an annual meeting held May 5, Volkswagen brand CEO Herbert Diess outlined the company’s 2017 product schedule. Already the three-row Atlas is rolling off its Chattanooga assembly line, while the 2018 Tiguan (known as the Tiguan Allspace overseas) began production in March. The 2018 Jetta is listed for a December launch.
The next-generation Jetta promises a top-down revamp, with the compact moving to the company’s MQB modular architecture and adopting a more contemporary design. Engine offerings aren’t known, but the automaker has said it plans to cull a number of ICEs in the near future. Expect the 1.4-liter four-cylinder to remain as the Jetta’s frugal base powerplant. Industry journal Automotive News claims the 1.8-liter turbocharged four will likely disappear from the lineup.
While we haven’t seen spy shots or renderings of the next Jetta, seven months isn’t a long time in the life of a product. We should know more details by this summer.
Two products expected to bow in overseas markets this year will likely find their way across the Atlantic next year. VW hasn’t confirmed an arrival date for the T-Roc compact crossover or the larger next-generation Touraeg, though the U.S. remains a top market for the brand’s utility push. The luxurious CC replacement, the Arteon, will also arrive next year.
[Image: Volkswagen/ YouTube]
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The 1.4 is OK, but the 1.8 is godly. It's the difference between mashed potatoes out of a box vs mashed potatoes from scratch, with butter and milk and sour cream. Hopefully the next Jetta injects some excitement back into VW's design; they're going a little too gung ho with the staid straight lines.
We bought a 2016 SEL with the 1.8 turbo. Discounts were big and the interior quality is much improved in this version. The biggest plus was the 1.8 engine though - it revs nicely and pulls strongly with good low end power. It also doesn't run out of breath at the upper end, compared to the 1.4. More recent Jettas really are vastly improved over the ones at the start of this model run. We didn't like the go cart styling of competing models and really preferred the handling and drive solidity of the current car. Combine that with some of the best outward views and you actually have a pretty competitive car. I think VW still deals with diesel scandal blow back, but I think folks overlook other models that are both fuel efficient and get the job done.