Why VW is screwing around with Golf owners - A Rant

[Miketow]

Make no mistake - The VW Golf is a great car - timeless design, quality interiors, iconic GTi image and that fantastic price tag so if you bought one with extra cash you saved for your old age - you can expect some form of exclusivity - right? - wrong!

 

With the MK6 Golf looming in the coming months as a completely new model over the current Golf Mk5 - MAN! is VW is really CASHING IT IN!!

 

The basic golf has today spanned an amazing range of engine variants and body types to attract all kinds of buyers

 

For starters, if you bought a basic Golf for Camry money a few years ago - You are guaranteed a dull image b/c the GTi just looks so much better - and guess what? There seems to be so many more GTis then basic Golfs on the road - and basic Golfs are not cheap!

 

If you bought a mind retardingly expensive Golf R32 that came with that super exclusive silver front end - rest assured - VW - is now selling a car - with the same super exclusive front end - as the cheapest Golf derived VW branded family car money can buy! - So budget buyers! Corolla or Jetta? Corolla or Jetta..Corolla or R32?...wait a minute...hmmm...

 

Wait wait - one more trick out the VW hat! - The iconic GTi has also spawned an unwanted younger step brother - also known as the GLI! - A Jetta with a 2L Turbo and more importantly - the FACE of the iconic GTi!

 

(now..now..we never said that GTi face was sacred right??)- and guess what? Its CHEAPER too!!

 

Flame away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hoppie24]

how much does a Golf GTI and GT cost now? Last year i went to the showroom and check, it was going for $125k and $105k respectively.

[Damienic]

GTI cost 127K now. The 'limited edition' GTI cost 110k. GT cost 100k now. These are latest prices I got from the dealer just abt a week ago..

[Rtth84]

yeah VW are screwing up Singaporean buyers buy intentionally reaping huge profits by tagging their cars at such a high price.

 

in UK, the golf is cheaper than the civic than a whopping 2000 sterling pounds!

 

and wait, the passat is 4k pounds cheaper than an accord.

 

Prices taken from respective UK sites.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Rtth84

[Rm2s]

I think each market will priced their car differently. If VW is not selling their cars, they will have to adjust to our market. If they continue to price it high and continue to move cars, no incentive for them to lower anyway.

 

For consumer like us, we have choices. Unless of course one die die must buy a VW lah.

 

If there are enough people who understand this, hopefully in the future, prices for car will be more reasonable.

 

Having said this, I can tell you, there are still buyers who doesn't know what OMV is, so, you go talk to them about value, they will have different interpretation for sure.

[Hoppie24]

alot of things in singapore are overpriced

Because we rely on imports, Cars will be very good examples. But even merchant on domestic product is also taking the chance to make a big killing, lately i went to US and got the Irobot Rommba 560 there for $400+, in Singapore the authorised distributor are doing RRP at $998, a Wooping 200% profit even they got it off the shelf from retail store in US.

[Rm2s]

Exactly why I bought a lot of my stuff from eBay. Having said that, one needs to have the stomach to take "no-warranty" condition when buy things from overseas.

 

OT liao .. back to Golf discussion

[Hoppie24]

wat is limited edition? Why is the LE cheaper than the normal ones?

[Tohdj]

Volkwagen mean's German people's car....so exclusivity is not applicable.

 

volk == german people...where volk is similar to folk

wagen is a wagon....which is a car

[Miketow]

Bro.. no need to define - We all know what VW means in English.

 

Of course it is not exclusive! - nobody is delusional about that fact here - but the Golf, or GTi or R32 can be somewhat to the majority of mid budget car buyers.

 

Nobody here is discussing the Golf in the context of Koenigsegg or Veyron - so let's not go there by trying to remind us what VW means..

 

I am ranting about the Golf model in isolation and VW in relation to its immediate competitors and stable of buyers

[Damienic]

I kinda agree with you too. I feel they release too many variants of each model..was quite shocked to see the GTI face on the Jetta GLI..

[Sturtles]

VW is on a roll, a big roll to be exact, almost every brand under them is making good profits. Porsche, Lamborghini, audi, etc are recording historical breaking profits.

 

Focus mkII is into their 2nd facelift, and it looks entirely different, so VW, which is doing so well, is simply upping the stakes by introducing a new generation.

 

Good for consumers, I say.

 

Gut Getan, Volkswagen

[Miles]

While i too feel that VGS is making too much profit margin per car here, i dont agree that releasing too many variants is bad for the market. On the contrary, i feel that it is good for consumers as there are simply more choices.

Look at other marques like Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Ford, Opel.... each model only 1 or max 3 variants (engine wise). Buyers simply have no choice.

So in this, i think VGS is doing a good job by offering variety to buyers here.

 

Having said that, being an ex veedub owner, i doubt i'd go back to the marque.

[Damienic]

erm..I nvr say its bad for the mkt...I just felt that releasing too many variants just made some customers who bought an expensive car for that bit of 'exclusitivity' feel a bit 'cheated' in a way that the design he is getting is being used on other models as well..on the same model but diff variants is ok..GT, GTI, R32 and etc..my grouse is, the same exact look being used on another model..for e.g the GTI look being used on the Jetta now..it becomes a GTI with a boot? the GTI was like a symbol for VW and its trade mark grill was something special but now it is being loosely used on the Jetta..

[Miles]

the GLi is to the americans what the GTi is to the europeans. It has been for years.

we get the best of both the americans and europeans.

 

buyers who bought VWs thinking they are exclusive, are living in self denial.

[Rm2s]

Exclusive means rare right?

 

In SG, there were 374 units of VW sold between Jan - April 2008, not a lot leh. So, quite exclusive lor. Compare to Toyota and Honda where thousands were sold.

 

I think the terms should be premium. VW is NOT a premium car.

[Miles]

if rare = exclusive, then i think Skoda and Ford is more exclusive than VW.

 

yes, VGS or previous distributor car & cars would want the public to look at VW like merc, audi, bmw, volvo, saab.... premium contis (as opposed to opel, ford, renault, peugeot or citroen). but who are they kidding.

[Damienic]

anyway, it doesn't bother me...Iam not owning a VW and dun intend to get any VW cars sometime in near future..talk abt exclusivity, I rather get Alfa..