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Volkswagen Steers Toward US

New Jetta part of push for American market

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 5, 2010 11:10 AM CDT

(Newser) – Volkswagen wants to be the biggest automaker in the world, but it’s got one little problem: It has only 2.2% of the US market. But the company aims to change all that starting this week, when it rolls out its new Jetta, a spacious sedan designed specifically for mainstream American tastes, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’ll follow that up next year with a family-size sedan built in Tennessee, its first US-built car since the 1980s.

“I am fully aware that Volkswagen was too cautious for too long in North America,” says the company’s CEO. For decades, the company has tried to sell Americans small, expensive cars that are popular in Europe, with little success. Now “we have turned that upside down,” he promises. Volkswagen's lofty goal: to sell 800,000 VWs a year here by 2018, up from the 213,454 it sold last year.

This undated picture provided by Volkswagen shows the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. (AP)

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Showing 3 of 11 comments

DontLikeYou___

Oct 5, 2010 7:22 PM CDT

I worked on a VW Cabrio for a family member several times over the course of a year. I doubt I will ever purchase a VW as the newser ones are crap IMO.

Goro

Oct 5, 2010 5:12 PM CDT

Don't be afraid to sell your smaller cars in the big cities! There is a market for Yaris' and Fits and Smarts and Minis. They're all over the place and make way more sense than full sized sedans.

Yourself

Oct 5, 2010 11:50 AM CDT

-bring back the westfalia -keep marketing the advantages of diesel (it's cleaner, 30+% more efficient, lasts WAY longer, quieter then diesels of yesteryears, less expensive to maintain in the long run) -manufacture them locally to make them marketable -ditch the partnership with dodge for the minivan -make a small class pickup with your awesome diesel and you'll crush the competition -offer all your models in diesel

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Volkswagen Steers Toward US

New Jetta part of push for American market

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Volkswagen • auto industry • Volkswagen Jetta

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