VW considers small cars, pickups and a cheaper Passat for the U.S.

Besides a U.S. assembly plant, Volkswagen is also considering small cars, a pickup and is working on replacing the Passat and Jetta with cheaper sedans in order to boost sales on the stateside. In an interview with Automotive News at the Geneva Motor Show, CEO Winterkorn touched on a number of ideas that he considers are vital for Volkswagen’s and Audi’s total U.S. sales goals of 1 million units by 2018.

Winterkorn believes that it is very crucial for Volkswagen to focus on its growth in the U.S. in order to meet their ambitious goal of matching Toyota’s sales.

“I am sure if we want to grow, we have to go to the United States,” Winterkorn said.

Winterkorn said that amongst the upcoming family of production Volkswagen Space Up!, Volkswagen is considering a car the size of the Polo or the Polo itself, a body-on-frame pickup, a smaller Phaeton powered by a diesel and a U.S. built Passat replacement with a new name and a lower price than the current $24,680 model.

“We need to produce cars that fit the American customer,” Winterkorn said. “The Jetta and Passat are too expensive. We need models that hit the sweet spot.”

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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