More amateur spy photos of the upcoming 2011 Volkswagen Jetta have been captured and so far the reaction probably isn’t what VW is looking for. The dull looking compact car in the photos is believed to be the next Jetta model, that VW has code-named the NCS (for New Compact Sedan).

Along with less-than-impressive looks the new Jetta is believed to be less premium than before, but larger to meet with the demands of U.S. consumers. It has also been reported that the next Jetta (at least North American models) will use a less-sophisticated torsion beam rear suspension. The up-side to all this is a significantly lower cost, with rumors that it will start at $14,950 – significantly less than the $17,735 entry price for a current Jetta model.

We’re hoping Volkswagen still has some design changes in mind for the model to give it a bit more flare. Otherwise, it’s no surprise to us why VW just bought a majority stake in Italian design firm Italdesign Giugiaro.

GALLERY: 2011 VW Jetta Spy Photos

[Source: GMI]

According to a well-connected forum member at VWVortex, Volkswagen‘s all-new Jetta model will finally be an affordable vehicle on U.S. soil, starting at just $14,950. By comparison, the least expensive current Jetta now starts at $17,735.

This new Jetta model has been designed with the U.S. market in mind and based on VW’s plan to attract U.S. customers, it should offer increased size and interior room. We’re worried that in order to achieve this lower cost, VW will have to cut corners, offering a less-premium interior. Still, with VW’s already high-quality trim, even a slight downgrade should leave it well placed in the market. Other cost-cutting measures include the use of a less-sophisticated torsion beam rear suspension for models sold in North America.

In the future, VW is expected to deliver more U.S.-targeted models including an all new mid-size sedan to replace the Passat. That model will be built in the U.S. to help reduce production costs.

According to the same VWVortex source, the German automaker looks to release official info and photos of the car in the next few weeks.

[Source: VWVortex via Autoblog]

With the launch of the Golf R, Volkswagen is considering a Jetta R model that will help expand the brand’s soon-to-be-launched high-performance R division. This new Jetta R won’t be based on the current Jetta platform but on the all-new Jetta, which is known as the New Compact Sedan. The look of the car was previewed at the Detroit Auto Show recently, in coupe form, with the introduction of the New Compact Coupe.

Volkswagen admits that high-performance European models are just too pricey to import to the U.S. and so by using this new Jetta platform, designed specifically to be a more affordable vehicle, it will be able to build high-performance models for the U.S. marketplace.

Plans for a Jetta R are well underway and while VW won’t officially confirm reports, it is believed that both an Jetta R Coupe and Jetta R Sedan are likely – much in the way that Honda offers the Civic Si in coupe and sedan forum. This new model would very much be aimed at the Si-crowd.

Most likely the a Jetta R would share its powertrain with the Golf R, using a turbocharged 4-cylinder making 265-hp. It is also likely to get VW’s 4MOTION AWD system and a long list of performance modifications, from a stiffer and lower suspension to bigger wheels and more powerful brakes.

Interestingly, in an interview with Inside Line, VW confirmed that the next Jetta will be build with two different rear suspension designs. The first will be a low cost torsion beam setup and the second will be a more sophisticated, sportier and more expensive multi-link setup.

Volkswagen has made it clear that it plans to become the world’s largest automaker and to more than quadruple sales in the U.S. by 2018. While high-performance R models aren’t likely to be top sellers, they will help create brand recognition and help sell standard Jetta and Golf models.

[Source: InsideLine]

Volkswagen will double its sales in the U.S. in the next two to three years says VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby. Currently the German automaker sells just over 200,000 units in the U.S. annually, moving 213,454 cars and crossovers in 2009, down slightly from 2008. Jacoby believes sales will rise to 400,000 to 450,000 units in the next 24 to 36 months, in accordance with a larger goal by the company to deliver U.S. sales of 800,000 units sold in the U.S. by 2018.

To do this, VW is planning an onslaught of new models specific to the American market – something the German automaker has never really tried before. In the past most VW models were smaller, more premium and more expensive than their competition, but VW is hoping that a new mid-size sedan and new compact sedan that are larger and cheaper than the Passat and Jetta they replace will boost sales considerably.

Just recently VW also showcased a the New Compact Coupe concept at the Detroit Auto Show (above), that may also foreshadow a new coupe model from the brand as well as a hybrid.

VW has yet to confirm if its plans to grow the brand in the U.S. will include a sub-compact like the Polo model sold in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

Volkswagen has confirmed that the company’s new compact sedan will retain the Jetta badge. Until now it has been known only as NCS (New Compact sedan) and is part of a two-pronged attack that Volkswagen will be making on the U.S. market (and on Toyota). Volkswagen plans to increase almost four-fold, growing its sales from 220,000 to roughly 800,000 units by 2018.

A new version of the Jetta will also be offered but only in GLI trim, once the new version of the traditional Jetta debuts. The new Jetta will arrive in June of 2010.

The second part of VW’s plan involves the NMS (New Mid-Size Sedan), which will debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. It will be larger, less-premium than the company’s current mid-sized sedan (the Passat). It will also be less expensive as both it and the new Jetta will be manufactured at VW’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant. Despite previous reports to the contrary, VW has not yet confirmed if it will then eliminate the current Passat from the North American market. In all likelihood, the Passat isn’t likely to survive.

According to a report in Car & Driver, Volkswagen continues to be indecisive on the future of the Polo for the U.S., despite the recent introduction of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2. VW North America boss Stefan Jacoby did, however, tell C&D that the return of the Phaeton is likely for 2014 (something that has already been reported). He also dropped an important bit of new info - the German automaker is looking to show a new notchback coupe concept in the near future with a series production version in mind. Could this be a competitor to the Toyota FT-86?

[Source: Car&Driver]