The people who know nothing about cars might still believe Volkswagen is the car brand of the people, for the people. But in reality, the Golf or Passat models they sell are among the most expensive and complex in their particular segments.
There's very little money to be made from cheap cars, but Europe's biggest brand is still not giving up on being No.1. That's why a budget brand is being developed, and more details have emerged.
We've talked about this on a number of occasions, but tangible information has been lacking. Speaking to German magazine Bild, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn stated that 2018 is the year when we can expect to see cheap VWs again.
Autocar India reports that the VW budget brand was originally supposed to come out in 2016, a year from now. It plays a crucial role in markets like South America, India or East Asia, where VW struggles to compete with local makers using cars originally developed for Europe.
The CEO also said the brand would initially include a hatchback, a saloon and an SUV. The blueprints for such models already exist. For example, VW Brazil has been selling the Gol and Fox hatchbacks for a while. Before the Up! city car was introduced, the Fox was even exported to some European markets.
As for the sedan, the Voyage or Fox Sedan (pictured above) should give us a rough idea of what to expect. SUV? Think more like a small crossover, previewed by the Taigun concept revealed in 2012.
Several restrictions will be imposed on some of these Volkswagen models. For example, the Indian market offers certain benefits to cars sized under 4 meters, while ethanol is the most widespread form of fuel in Latin America.
We've talked about this on a number of occasions, but tangible information has been lacking. Speaking to German magazine Bild, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn stated that 2018 is the year when we can expect to see cheap VWs again.
Autocar India reports that the VW budget brand was originally supposed to come out in 2016, a year from now. It plays a crucial role in markets like South America, India or East Asia, where VW struggles to compete with local makers using cars originally developed for Europe.
The CEO also said the brand would initially include a hatchback, a saloon and an SUV. The blueprints for such models already exist. For example, VW Brazil has been selling the Gol and Fox hatchbacks for a while. Before the Up! city car was introduced, the Fox was even exported to some European markets.
As for the sedan, the Voyage or Fox Sedan (pictured above) should give us a rough idea of what to expect. SUV? Think more like a small crossover, previewed by the Taigun concept revealed in 2012.
Several restrictions will be imposed on some of these Volkswagen models. For example, the Indian market offers certain benefits to cars sized under 4 meters, while ethanol is the most widespread form of fuel in Latin America.