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Why are US Golf sales so low?

Rafiki76

Ready to race!
Location
Los Angeles
Car(s)
MKVII GTI
From what I see and people I talk to, they have a bad opinion on VW's (Non-car people) and they want a bigger car to "feel safe in." Personally I love hatches and I am considering an R for my next car, but most likely I'll go 2 series just to "graduate," but the practicality of a hatchback along with the power and refinement of the GTi platform not to mention the raw tuning ability are all wonderful to me, but many people would rather drive a small SUV/ Crossover instead.
 

Gro Harlem

Ready to race!
Location
Gambrills, MD
Cuz of the Consumer Reports Kool-Aid. "VW's are unreliable" says everyone ever when I tell them I have a VW. Where'd they hear that? CR

Latest issue of CR says the 15 and 16 golf are worse than average reliability. Only the 17 is "average" but still not recommended, despite having the highest road-test scores of all compacts in its class. The Alltrack made it to the recommended list and tops the ratings on wagons, beating the Outback for the first time. Last year they rated it unreliable so they didn't recommend it though.

CR seriously has power in helping sell cars and perception of brand names. Nearly every non-car person I talk to about cars cites CR reliability data and always mention "VW is unreliable I'll get a Subaru or Mazda instead".

IMO It has nothing to do with the mid-year refresh. I check my local dealerships on Golf/Sportwagen/GTI pricing at least once a month and the same exact cars have been on their lots for 3-6 months now so I know they aren't selling. I'm in one of the largest markets for these cars (mid-atlantic) and the prices are insanely cheap yet the cars STILL don't sell. Sub-18k GTI S or GSW 4-motion S? yep! Not selling.....Sub 22-k GTI SE? Yep! Not selling!

Doesn't help that these moron dealerships don't buy their on-lot cars with DAP. I think that is what a lot of people want these days in cars.
 

joesid

Go Kart Newbie
Thank you, yes.
These cars make C&D's Ten Best year after year.
I hear crickets from VW about this.
I could easily imagine a GTI commercial showing off its interior passenger space, folding the rear seat and accommodating - oh, maybe beach gear - a good looking young couple hops in, tears it up along a Pacific Coast road and ends up at the beach.
Or...
A couple in an urban situation hits the flea market, arts store etc., the compact car fits in small parking spaces while offering lots of room.
It looks sharp, gets great mileage, and has a great warranty.

You just reminded me of this classic from the 90’s, and now “da da da” is stuck in my head.
https://youtu.be/KmQvOT1Sxkg
Pretty sure @0:26 is me every other day/5 times a day lol
 
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Ghawkins

Ready to race!
Location
Ohio
Volkswagen is the world’s largest automotive retailer. Someone in Marketing must know something about selling cars to some people, just not here in North America. The knew how in the 60s. Must have forgotten!
 

TheWombat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Vermont
As noted above, Americans like vehicles that ride high. Hatchbacks in particular have been tarred with the "econobox" label, too, and that turns people off. No one here wants to be thought of as driving a cheap car, even if they are driving a cheap car.

Really, though, it's about margins. It costs about the same to make a small car as it does an SUV or a pickup, but you can charge a lot more for the latter. The tech, the engines, the running gear, the interior, it's all about a wash in cost, and the greater resource costs in constructing the metal body and stuff is offset by the cost of researching and certifying smaller cars where everything has to fit in smaller places. And they can charge more for the SUV or truck, as they sell better, so the margins are higher. And in the auto business, margins generally suck, especially for American makers. At one point not long ago, I read an article that put Toyota's average profit per car at over two grand, while GMs was under one grand.
 

Loonster

Ready to race!
Location
Minnesota
I don't know how accurate these numbers are but I can tell you that in Minnesota VW is huge. There are Golfs, Jettas, Passats and Tiguans all over the place. My son is 16 going on 17 and a base Golf looks to be in his future. At the local dealership they had a 1.8tsi model brand new for 14k. My wife has a 1.8 tsi Jetta and that little engine can go pretty good. Not fast off the line but passing on the highway is a breeze. 14k for a brand new car with a 60k warranty? Can't beat it, it's the perfect car for a teenager, good on gas, plenty of room, roof rack for his snow board (the ski lifts are 10 minutes away) and it's way cooler than a Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla or the butt ugly Civic. And by the way all those cars cost more.

When I do buy him one, we'll have 3 VW's in the family. My GTi, her Jetta and my son's Golf
 

dm33

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Raleigh, NC
My favorite VW commercial is synchronicity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcfW_hlYZ5k

Imprinted an impression of VW that never left. Lots of things that just feel right. And the love of driving.

Folks are probably right. Sounds like the model year turn over hasn't gone well this year. I was just looking for a 2017 Golf. Very few to be had. My local area supposedly sold out. I bought 3 hours away to get what I wanted. The 2018 trim equivalent to the 2017 Wolfsburg is the SE which is much more expensive. So I opted to buy now despite limited inventory.

Maybe sales will pick up once/if inventory picks up. Looking on cars.com, it says Golf inventory is fairly healthy, about 2500 units, but that doesn't match my local area.

I agree with most of the comments here. US consumers don't seem to like small cars, don't like hatchbacks unless they're huge SUVs, don't value a good handling fun to drive car. Fortunately for me I do.
 

Loonster

Ready to race!
Location
Minnesota
My favorite VW commercial is synchronicity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcfW_hlYZ5k

Imprinted an impression of VW that never left. Lots of things that just feel right. And the love of driving.

Folks are probably right. Sounds like the model year turn over hasn't gone well this year. I was just looking for a 2017 Golf. Very few to be had. My local area supposedly sold out. I bought 3 hours away to get what I wanted. The 2018 trim equivalent to the 2017 Wolfsburg is the SE which is much more expensive. So I opted to buy now despite limited inventory.

Maybe sales will pick up once/if inventory picks up. Looking on cars.com, it says Golf inventory is fairly healthy, about 2500 units, but that doesn't match my local area.

I agree with most of the comments here. US consumers don't seem to like small cars, don't like hatchbacks unless they're huge SUVs, don't value a good handling fun to drive car. Fortunately for me I do.

Dude, that video really took me back. Had that car in Blue TDI. Loved the 48 mpg's and that sick ass stereo it came with.
 

Ghawkins

Ready to race!
Location
Ohio
VW’s largest market is China. One would assume that the potential buyers would not be so knowledgeable regarding autos. Still no more than 2nd generation buyers. How does VW convince these folks to buy their products? I have heard that the Chinese view some Euro high end cars as extremely prestigious especially while being driven to their destinations. Does VW enjoy this kind of following at their price point or are they seen as upscale vehicles at a bargain price? Buick seems to get this kind of treatment in China.
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
Just enjoying it while it lasts. There won't be any more ICE cars soon, much less performance hatchbacks and definitely not manuals.

It's going to become similar to horses; for personal enjoyment on tracks only
 

Verichai

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Low Earth Orbit
Just enjoying it while it lasts. There won't be any more ICE cars soon, much less performance hatchbacks and definitely not manuals.

It's going to become similar to horses; for personal enjoyment on tracks only

Sad but true. In our lifetimes, we will see the automobile become something that is owned by no one, driven by no one, and loved by no one. They will just be another piece of automated technology that shows up when you request one though an app on your phone. And once the transition to self-driving cars is complete, the insurance companies will make sure that the old human-driven cars are prohibitively expensive to insure. So, enjoy it while it lasts, indeed. The days are numbered. Porsche just announced that it expects to have automated flying taxis in service within the next decade.
 
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