"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
06/19/2016 at 19:10 • Filed to: None
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"not for canada - australian in disguise" (for-canada)
06/19/2016 at 19:10 • Filed to: None | 4
| 26 |
Ford’s got the Fiesta, Chevy’s got BOTH the Sonic and the Spark, Toyota’s got the Yaris, Nissan’s got the Micra and Note, you see what I’m getting at.
All of those cars sell really well, or at least in Canada. Why wouldn’t VW want a slice of that action? I mean, yeah, Dieselgate. But I think another thing that’s actually harming VW is that their lineup isn’t really comprehensive enough. They have the Golf/Jetta lineup, the Passat/CC, and their two SUVs. The only other car they sell is the Beetle.
No subcompact of note. The current Polo is getting a little bit long in the tooth, so I expect that a Mk6 is imminent. So, why doesn’t VW just bring it to North American (at least Canadian) standards, and bring it over here!
They’ve even got a GTI variant, with the same kickass plaid seats as the Golf GTI. I’d certainly take one over a Fiesta ST if I were shopping for a small hot hatch, admittedly just because of the seats.
jkm7680
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:18 |
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I agree. Volkswagen really needs new options in the post-dieselgate wake. They have been making really good sales though.
BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:19 |
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I’ve been saying for years that adding the Polo and Amarok to VW’s American lineup would completely change their sales dynamic in the US.
duurtlang
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:25 |
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VW of north America should just give up and sell rebadged Skodas in the US, replacing the VW lineup with VW badged Skodas. Skodas tend to be slightly larger/cheaper, just like what Americans want, just not as beige as the US-special Passat (and Jetta). There’s the Fabia as a subcompact, the Rapid as a small compact, the Octavia as a large compact and the Superb as the barge midsize. Most come as wagons. There are no sedans (at least not in my market), but the Rapid, Octavia and Superb come as hatchbacks with the esthetic of a sedan.
Maybe skip the Rapid while we’re at it.
Throw in the Yeti as a small crossover, add the VW Beetle and whatever crossover VW comes up with next. SEAT Ateca? Also: Amarok
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not for canada - australian in disguise
> duurtlang
06/19/2016 at 19:27 |
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Or just bring Skoda here outright. Wouldn’t even be the first time Skoda sold cars in NA.
Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:31 |
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and the Up!, I quite like the Up!
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not for canada - australian in disguise
> Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
06/19/2016 at 19:33 |
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The up! would make a good Mirage/Spark/500/Micra competitor.
dogisbadob
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:34 |
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The Polo and Up would sell quite well if they’re priced fairly. Or even the Brazilian Gol. The Amarok would definitely help, and can be easily done if they move production to Mexico (and they might not even need to do that with the TPP)
S65
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:49 |
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I support this.
NeedForSwede
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 19:51 |
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I still badly want the Up!
fhrblig
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 20:11 |
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I would LOVE for the Polo to come here. It wouldn’t sell here, though, not for the price they’d have to charge. That’s just a hunch, but considering that small cars are becoming unpopular again it’s probably a good one. I bet it’d sell in Canada, though.
RT
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 20:13 |
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The Polo is another car we take for granted over here.
It’s a household name though, just as common as your Golf or Passat.
Most of them are nothing too special, but it’s always nice to have a subcompact with a healthy dose of German Engineering.
Also I liked this gen of the GTi.
Birddog
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 20:18 |
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You’re right! NA needs one more car only 11 people will buy.
BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
> dogisbadob
06/19/2016 at 20:24 |
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Hard part, though, is that Jettas are realistically selling for $16500-17000 or even less. I’d love to buy the Polo, but I think it'd be hard for VW to price it below $15k.
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dogisbadob
> BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
06/19/2016 at 20:34 |
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Not if they import them from India, Russia, or Africa. There’s also the Gol from Brazil.
The Up is made in Brazil also. Start the Up at $8000, and the Polo/Fox/Gol at $11k.
Chasaboo
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 20:38 |
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Yeah, we need more unreliable German cars in America. Can't get enough of them.
Svend
> duurtlang
06/19/2016 at 21:08 |
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Ye’, they don’t do saloons/sedans just 3 and 5 door hatchbacks and estates.
I agree with the Rapid, but the Rapid Spaceback looks good, sort of Audi A3-ish.
Probenja
> dogisbadob
06/19/2016 at 21:08 |
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Yeah but you get a much inferior car in terms of quality, reviewers complained so much at the fact that the Jetta had a hard touch dash, they had to change it when they facelifted it. Also the Gol still has an 8v engine in most countries and you can’t get either the Indian Polo or Brazilian Gol with more than 2 airbags, and ESP is not available.
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dogisbadob
> Probenja
06/19/2016 at 21:21 |
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Even the Jetta has an 8v engine in the US, so nothing wrong with using it in the cheaper Gol. Not too hard to add the extra airbags and ESP, since the cheaper cars are based on their Euro-market counterparts, where those features are required.
The Micra and Mirage meet US standards at a low price, and so can VW.
Vicente Esteve
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/19/2016 at 21:35 |
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The Polo would be an excellent car to introduce to the US. It feels like a much lager car than it is, the GTI version though is not as good as the FieSTa.
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Probenja
> dogisbadob
06/19/2016 at 22:02 |
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The Gol doesn’t have an Euro counterpart so it won’t be upgraded in safety, the Polo might if they spend some money in their Indian plant, but still, its no where near the level of quality compared to a Mexican Golf or the European Polo. So some people would start complaining that the car doesn’t have the “VW” quality feel.
I think the solution would be that they start making the Polo in Mexico, then it would be perfect, but in Mexico they are now selling the Indian one...
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dogisbadob
> Probenja
06/19/2016 at 22:22 |
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A Polo or Up not having the VW quality feel isn’t the same as a more-expensive Jetta not having it. For under 10k, people will give it a pass.
And yeah, I’m surprised they don’t make the Polo in Mexico given how popular VW is there!
FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
> not for canada - australian in disguise
06/20/2016 at 03:27 |
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My best friend owns this, a brown, 1.6 TDI Polo. I got to admit that I really like it. It feels like a MkV Golf, in a good way. Another guy I know my age also owns a Polo from that gen. A white 1.2 TSI with ABT goodies thrown in.
The Stig's former college room mate
> duurtlang
06/20/2016 at 15:28 |
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The Yeti ranks #2 on my list of “european cars that we can’t get in the US but I still want even if they aren’t that good”, right behind a diesel Panda 4x4.
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duurtlang
> The Stig's former college room mate
06/20/2016 at 15:38 |
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The Panda I get, but the Yeti? I feel to see the appeal. Could you explain?
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The Stig's former college room mate
> duurtlang
06/20/2016 at 16:57 |
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Watch and be amazed
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duurtlang
> The Stig's former college room mate
06/20/2016 at 18:20 |
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My company uses them as fleet vehicles for my 55+ year old colleagues who want a slightly taller vehicle for their stiff joints. These Yetis are a bit like the VW version of the PT loser, but with less ugly.