VW Goes Premium in a BIG Way
Volkswagen should win a controversy of the year award, if somewhere in autodom there is such a thing. Since when did "the peoples' car" get the guts to go for glory in the premium market?
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| 2004 is the year VW completely drops its value image and goes for broke in the premium market. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
To be fair, the Golf and Jetta have long been the cream of the entry-level compact crop. The Passat has been working its way steadily upstream too, now featuring a powerful 8-cylinder engine and more features than some competitors adorned with much more affluent nameplates.
But 2004 is the year VW completely drops its value image and goes for broke in the premium market? Just why the German automaker wants to do so, having developed what is possibly the world's most recognizable brand identity in the lower end of the market, is neither here nor there. The fact is VW brass feel it is worth taking the risk to overhaul its overall image with an upscale SUV and a full-size luxury car that is expected to command over $100,000 - yes more money than its upscale Audi brand. Go figure?
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| The Touareg is somewhat of an enigma, being that it's a much different SUV than most market analysts had initially expected. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
For the time being I'll wait to discuss the Phaeton and focus on the new Touareg instead. It is an enigma all its own, being that it's a much different SUV than most market analysts had initially expected. What was expected? Something a fair bit smaller for starters. I envisioned a car-based sport utility derived from Golf/Jetta architecture, an economical, efficient, and most importantly, affordable entry into a seriously clogged marketplace.
While an SUV answering to this description might still be a possibility, VW has come to market first with something entirely at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Touareg is not particularly economical, only reasonably efficient considering its hefty curb weight, and hardly affordable to the average VW customer. But that's not saying I don't like it.