#entry-level

In the automotive journalist profession, we rarely get the opportunity to test anything other than fully loaded new cars. Call us spoiled.

When the Scion xB was first introduced in 2003, it was a funky looking little square box aimed at youths involved in the tuner car scene. However, like many vehicles of this era targeted at younger buyers, it never really caught on. Blame the lack of power, blame the quirky looks, blame an unknown brand, but the xB look was destined to disappear into the automotive hall of shame with Edsel, the Aztek and the Vehicross.

You might find it strange, but in Europe when automakers release a new model, they don’t always retire the old one.

Volkswagen is looking to add an entry-level brand for the Chinese market as a means of stabilizing its lead in the Chinese marketplace. “We are currently evaluating with our partner First Auto Works whether we need to add a domestic brand to enter the low-cost portion of the Chinese market,” Soh Weiming, executive VP for Volkswagen’s Chinese sales and marketing arm, told Automotive News.