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 is hell-bent on cracking the U.S. market and has decided to follow a production plan that will see it essentially follow in Toyota’s footsteps – for better or worse. Now that plan seems to include a possible entry-level sports car designed to compete against cars like the upcoming Toyota FT-86.

In an interview with Car & Driver, VW of America boss Stefan Jacoby stated that a concept sports car will be shown in the near future (possibly as early as the Detroit Auto Show in January). It will be a two-door coupe with a notchback design and will be targeted specifically at the U.S. market – much how the FT-86 has been described. The only other detail we have it that will likely be over 180-inches in length… again, roughly the size of the FT-86.

VW’s plan to crack the U.S. market will also include a new compact car (which will retain the Jetta name), as well as a New Mid-Size Sedan (NMS). Both of these will be built at VW’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant with the new Jetta arriving next year and the family sedan the year afterward.

[Source: Car & Driver]

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]

When Volkswagen’s new mid-sized sedan arrives in 2011, there is a strong possibility that it will replace, rather than join the Passat, in the German automaker’s lineup. VW Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby has said that the company is currently studying whether or not to keep the Passat, but all evidence points to its elimination.

Volkswagen has big plans to take on Toyota in the U.S. marketplace and to do so the company has finally admitted that its current lineup of European vehicles are just too small and too expensive for mainstream American tastes. That being said, if sales of the Passat are already not that great, offering a larger and less expensive vehicle certainly won’t help the car’s business case.

Last year VW sold just 30,034 Passat models, compared to a high of 96,142 in 2002. Sales for 2009 look even worse as the automaker has only managed to move 9,163, units so far. Volkswagen hopes to sell 100,000 units of the new mid-sized sedan initially with plans for increased market presence thereafter.

Currently the Passat sells from $27,695, while this new sedan is expected to be priced much closer to the $20,000-mark. The lower price comes as a result of the fact that VW will build the car in the U.S., at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Volkswagen’s U.S. CEO has confirmed the planned return of the Phaeton. In an interview with The Detroit News, Stefan Jacoby outlined the German automaker’s plans to become a major payer in the U.S. market and to sell 800,000 vehicles annually by 2018.

The plan includes vehicles, many of them entirely new models, to compete in the U.S. market. Included in the list are a new mid-sized sedan, to replace the Passat, and a new compact sedan, to replace the Jetta. Apparently the Polo has still not been green-lighted for the U.S.

Along with an additional crossover, Jacoby did say that VW is looking at a top-level luxury car and even used the Phaeton name. The Phaeton, a massive flop for VW when it sold in the U.S. from 2004 to 2006, was based on the same platform as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and was priced accordingly.

Jacoby did, however, say that the new Phaeton would be aimed more at the full-sized segment, than the luxury one, hinting that it would be designed to take on cars like the Toyota Avalon.

[Source: TheDetroitNews]

Yesterday President Obama announced a new proposal being put forward to increase fuel-economy standards across the board. If enacted, the legislation would see the fleet average for passenger vehicles rise to 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Currently automakers are facing an 8 percent increase in fuel-economy standards that would see fleet averages for light-vehicles (cars and trucks) at 27.3 mpg for 2011. Cars would have to achieve a fleet average of 30.2 mpg by that date.

The new legislation would see increases of 5 percent annually after that, with a fleet average of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

President Obama made the announcement at the White House yesterday and was joined by representatives of 10 supporting automakers and the UAW.  In attendance were GM CEO Fritz Henderson, Ford’s Alan Mullaly, Chrysler’s Bob Nardelli, Toyota’s Jim Lentz, Honda’s John Mendel, BMW’s Friedrich Eichiner, Nissan’s Dominique Thormann, Daimler’s Dieter Zetsche, Mazda’s Jim O’Sullivan, Volkswagen’s Stefan Jacoby and the UAW’s Ron Gettelfinger.

If enacted the proposal would reduce America’s fuel-consumption by 1.8 billion barrels of oil.

The agreement was arrived at with the consent of California, which will cease to have its own fuel-economy standards.

The cost of achieving the new fuel-economy standard is expected to be roughly $600 per vehicle, a tab that will no doubt be passed along to the consumer.

[Source: Automotive News]

In an exclusive interview with Automotive News, Volkswagen North America CEO Stefan Jacoby let slip precious few details about the secret new sedan that is slated for production. But he did admit its existence, even saying that the final design of the vehicle had been agreed upon in just the past few weeks in Wolfsburg.

Whether it will look anything like the sketches that leaked out in February (pictured above), has not been confirmed.

What else we do know is that the vehicle will use VW’s 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter engines and will cost a very-reasonable $20,000.

The vehicle is slated to be produced in VW NA’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant with sales beginning in the Spring of 2012.

As for what else will be built at the plant, there is the possibility of a VW version of the upcoming Audi Q3 – although that may no longer be likely after VW announced a “project” had been put on hold in the U.S. after it decided to award the SEAT facility in Spain the contract to build the Q3.

Most likely to be built at the new facility are the two new Polo models that Jacoby has already confirmed are coming. With the current Euro-spec Polo deemed too small for the U.S. market, VW plans to bring a sedan and hatchback version of the Polo, but not until 2011. And where better to build a North American spec vehicle than in North America.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

As we have previously reported, Volkswagen will bring it’s sub-compact Polo to the U.S. but not until 2011. Even more surprising is that the vehicle won’t be the same one that was just unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show.

According to a Automotive News report (soured on AutoBlog) the 2011 Polo will come to the U.S. in two different versions: a sedan and hatchback. VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News that the current Polo is still too small for the U.S. market – which is surprising because it looked pretty large to us in Geneva.

To resolve this issue, VW will build two new version of the car with a longer wheelbase and a slightly taller roof. The sedan model will be smaller than the Jetta and the four-door wagon/hatchback will be a competitor to the Honda Fit.

Jacoby did say that pricing for the sub-compact would have to be between $13,000 and $15,000 in order to compete in the segment, so expect the final products to have base prices in that range.  In order to achieve that price, the vehicle will likely have to be built in North America – potentially at VW’s Puebla, Mexico plant.

[Source: AutoBlog]