VW North America Needs The Polo. So Why Aren't They Selling It Here?

"Blake Noble" (blake-noble) 02/19/2015 at 09:00 • Filed to: Rant, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Polo, Opinion

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Gasoline prices are averaging less than $2.50 now in America, which has consequently fueled a rise in truck and SUV sales. But that doesn't mean small cars are out. Actually, the segment only saw a rather !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! last month. So tell me: when is Volkswagen going to get in on this?

After all, it's not like VW has to go through extreme lengths to give America a good small car. They already make one and it's called the Polo ( pictured above ). But VW has said time and again it isn't going to bring it over here, not now or in the future.

For those of you not in the know, the Polo is Volkswagen's subcompact hatchback that slots in below the Golf. Sold almost everywhere except North America, the Polo competes against such cars as the European Ford Fiesta and the Mazda 2. It comes as either a three-door or five-door hatchback, as well as a sedan and even a hip, small-crossovery thing named the CrossPolo.

In markets where the Polo is sold, the little VW is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Top Gear 's Richard Hammond drove a lowly three-cylinder model last year, actually saying it was " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ."

For those of you in the know, you already know that VW makes a hot GTI version of the Polo. But what you may not know is that the Polo GTI is roughly the same size as VW's original hot hatch: the 1976 Golf GTI. It's also just as powerful as the Golf GTI from 10 years ago .

In fact, one could argue the Polo GTI does a far better job of carrying on the spirit of the original Golf GTI — read: cheap, fast, practical and reliable fun — than the new Golf GTI does. And while reviewers have pointed out !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Especially if you're a buyer legitimately concerned that the Fiesta ST might be !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

So now that we know what the VW Polo is and why it's awesome, we have to figure out why Volkswagen is depriving us of it Stateside.

Could it be that the US market simply doesn't support subcompact cars, especially with cheap fuel? Nope. Again, even with rising SUV and truck sales and cheap fuel, subcompact car sales are far from anything resembling a complete loss. Perhaps even more surprising is the Nissan Versa — a car that's always mediocre unless it's parked next to a Mitsubishi Mirage — !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! last month.

So much for us Americans being a bunch of forgetful fatasses then. And besides, the white-hot popularity of subcompact crossovers like the Nissan Juke and Buick Encore is just as responsible as cheap fuel for the recent upswing in SUV sales. By the way, the subcompact crossover segment is also one VW doesn't compete in, but they could if they brought in the CrossPolo I mentioned earlier to the US.

It isn't because of our market then. What else could it be?

Is it cost? Again, no. A reasonably-equipped Polo three-door costs roughly $19,000USD in its home market of Germany. And while that is more expensive than a similar Fiesta is here, our friends South of the Border can also buy a new Polo sedan — it's called the Vento there, and built in India to drive the cost further down — with decent kit for less than $14,000USD. If VW wanted to sell the Polo here at a competitive price, they could just ship it in from India.

So if the price and our market can't be blamed, what can? Well I have a simple answer: it's Volkswagen.

Volkswagen initially built its reputation in America on cheap, cheerful and well-built cars like the original Beetle and the Kombi minibus. And VW was OK with that. Everyone was OK with that. That is, until the day VW realized it no longer wished to be seen as the everyman's European brand in the US.

So VW set off on a quest for the same cachet as Mercedes and BMW. It started selling well-built, yet totally irrelevant luxury models like the Touareg and the Phaeton. Then the Passat CC and Eos followed. While these might have all been critically approved cars, none of them fit VW's image with buyers. And for VW, which has struggled to hit it really big in America since the 90s, that wasn't good news.

Since then, VW has been trying to correct that mistake, while foolheartedly hanging on to hope it's luxury ambitions will still work out in the end. They introduced a cheaply made Passat and Jetta, which haven't exactly reconnected the brand with buyers. And then comes talk they'll bring the Phaeton back to the U.S. soon.

Volkswagen, here's a handy piece of advice for you: be true to yourselves. You made a name for yourselves by selling well-made, affordable cars. Especially small ones. Small cars like the Polo. Get back to basics and bring it over here. You can't afford not to.

Funktheduck > Blake Noble 02/19/2015 at 09:11

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The image it has with most people I know about modern VWs is they're unreliable and cheaply made. I've heard good things about the new ones (for the most part) here on Oppo but for the people burned by the 1.8t generation or put off by the early current gens cheapness I think they have a lot to shake off.

The Polo could do that. They'd probably have to rename it for the US because of trademark stuff.

Leon711 > Blake Noble 02/19/2015 at 09:12

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I've had two, a 1988 Ranger and a 2000 16v, they are great cars.

spanfucker retire bitch > Blake Noble 02/19/2015 at 09:14

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What Volkswagen needs (or at least what they needed about 3-5 years ago) is a small Crossover.

Their sales will continue to suffer abysmally until they offer that. And by the time they do, it'll probably already be too late. Everyone will already be driving around in RAV4s, CR-Vs, Forresters, Edges and every other model that has been dominating brand sales.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > spanfucker retire bitch 02/19/2015 at 09:25

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The Tiguan doesn't count as a small SUV? I mean, it sucks, but it's the same segment as the CRV, RAV4, and Foz.

spanfucker retire bitch > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 02/19/2015 at 09:28

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It really doesn't, no. Especially when you take price into consideration, and who VW is supposed to be competing against.

Plus, with the HR-V, CX-3 and other mini Crossovers on the way, VW is once again behind the sales curve.

They really can't figure out the American market worth a damn.

duurtlang > spanfucker retire bitch 02/19/2015 at 09:29

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The difference is that VW already has the Polo. The car you're asking for is either the Tiguan, or a car they don't have in their global lineup.

spanfucker retire bitch > duurtlang 02/19/2015 at 09:31

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or a car they don't have in their global lineup.

Yeah, and that's the problem. That's literally my entire point.

duurtlang > Funktheduck 02/19/2015 at 09:31

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I imagine VW has trademarked that name a long time ago. The Polo name predates the Golf name, both are in use by VW for over 4 decades now.

duurtlang > Blake Noble 02/19/2015 at 09:42

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The VW Polo doesn't start at $19k in Germany. It starts at €12.6k ($14.3k), and this is already including 19% VAT. So before VAT it starts at $12.0k. In Germany, a country not known for its low vehicle prices, unlike the US. I doubt VW would struggle to offer one in the US for much more than that with a more powerful but more crude base engine and some additional options, as the one size fits all US market's lack of vehicle options offer manufacturers scale advantages/savings.

Anyway, I think VW would be better off to just replace the VW lineup with the Skoda lineup in the US. Skodas are cheaper and larger than VWs, just what Americans seem to like. They could keep the Golf GTI as it's a bit of an icon.

I didn't know there was a Polo sedan. We don't get that one here in Western Europe, luckily.

duurtlang > spanfucker retire bitch 02/19/2015 at 09:50

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I get that the small SUV would be more profitable in the US, but it would also require higher investments because I imagine they're less profitable on a global scale. Having said that, even though crossovers aren't as popular here as they are in the US, people do still buy them for some reason. I don't really understand why VW doesn't offer anything competitive in the crossover segments.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > spanfucker retire bitch 02/19/2015 at 09:57

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They already have one, it's just too expensive.

Model: base price/AWD (US$)

Tiguan: 26,255/29,135
Rav4: 23,680/26,205
CX5: 21,550/24,395
Cherokee: 22,995/24,490
Escape: 22,960/24,490
CR-V: 23,445/24,695
Forester: 22,195/22,195
XV-Crostrek: 21,595/21,595

spanfucker retire bitch > duurtlang 02/19/2015 at 09:59

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Crossovers/Small Crossovers are becoming (if not already) the biggest sellers in both the U.S. and China. That's 2 of the 3 largest automotive markets in the world, and the third one isn't even one country, but an economic region.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > spanfucker retire bitch 02/19/2015 at 10:15

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I get what you're saying, in that the Tiguan competes with Midsize SUVs like the Edge, Traverse, Highlander and Pilot on price, but it's still a *SMALL* SUV .

Funktheduck > duurtlang 02/19/2015 at 10:56

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Yeah, but the legal system behind trademarks and patents in the US is messed up to say the least. It wouldn't surprise me if they changed the name just to avoid any potential issues.

What's another rich, white guy sport? Squash?

duurtlang > Funktheduck 02/19/2015 at 10:59

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I like that name.

Blake Noble > duurtlang 02/19/2015 at 12:50

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The VW Polo doesn't start at $19k in Germany.

Indeed it doesn't. What I said was:

A reasonably-equipped Polo three-door costs roughly $19,000USD...

"Reasonably-equipped" meaning it has options like air-conditioning, decent stereo, etc., etc.

The Vento/Polo sedan I mentioned was also similarly equipped.

But you did point something out: I forgot to take VAT out of the equation.

Ultimately, my point still stands: cost/price isn't what keeps VW from selling the Polo in the US.

Blake Noble > Funktheduck 02/19/2015 at 12:54

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They could use the Vento name here, if Polo isn't available. Vento means "wind" in Italian, so it still fits in with VW's naming scheme in the US.

Of course, they could always go back with animal names...

Blake Noble > duurtlang 02/19/2015 at 12:54

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My ass hurts all'asudden...

Funktheduck > Blake Noble 02/19/2015 at 13:37

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Won't work. People will assume it's Spanish and not Italian and even though a lot of cars are built in Mexico, Americans don't want to be reminded of that. They'll call it the little Mexican car and it'll flop except with hipsters looking for something to be anti establishment while they drink their Starbucks.

Captain_Spadaro > Blake Noble 03/05/2015 at 08:20

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If memory serves, the current Polo isn't designed for US crash regs. However, since VW is moving everything they make with a transversely mounted engine to MQB, I would expect the next gen Polo to be built off that platform as well.

I would also expect them to have their hand forced by CAFE.

dogisbadob > Blake Noble 03/05/2015 at 17:58

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The industry as a whole is too stupid to see that we need affordable new cars in the US. Sub-10k cars like the Polo and Micra. Even funnier is that Canada gets the Micra, so why not sell it down here, too?

They're probably insecure and jealous and afraid they'll steal sales from the bigger cars like the Golf and Versa, but they won't. You see, the cheap cars don't compete with new bigger cars; they compete with *used* cars.

SJW > Blake Noble 07/26/2016 at 05:13

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I had a 1988 VW Fox Wagon and I loved it till the wheels fell off. Literally...I couldn’t find a replacement C/V. I couldn’t afford a $17,000 Jetta, and I don’t like sedans anyway, so I bought something else. I miss my VW, even with the bad electrics. If they don’t offer us the Polo, they’ll never see another dollar from me.

OldAndBusted > Funktheduck 12/19/2016 at 12:12

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My wife and I have owned 5 different VW’s over the years (3 GTI’s, a Jetta and a Beetle). All have been reliable.

OldAndBusted > duurtlang 12/19/2016 at 12:14

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“...and larger than VWs, just what Americans seem to like”. Not this American.