Volkswagen Reconsidering Scirocco and Phaeton for the U.S. Market

Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that it’s going to expand its North American SUV lineup in order to catch up to GM and Toyota and triple its U.S. sales by 2018. However, the automaker also wants to boost its image, so it may bring back the Scirocco coupe and Phaeton sedan to the States.

In an interview in Washington, Jonathan Browning, head of Volkswagen’s U.S. operations, told Bloomberg News that the company is exploring the idea of selling the two models in the U.S. “We will reconsider bringing the Phaeton back to the U.S. in the next product cycle,” said Mr. Browning who added that no final decision has been made yet.

While not a bad car, the Phaeton had a short-lived career in the U.S., which ended in 2006. It seems that American buyers just couldn’t get used to the idea of a Mercedes S-Class rival with a Volkswagen badge. On the other hand, the Scirocco was successful in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, so to this day, many are wondering why VW chose not to import the latest generation of the coupe model. In Europe, the Scirocco is offered with a variety of powertrains ranging from a 52.3 mpg 140HP diesel to a 265HP 2.0-liter turbo in the sporty 'R' model.

The Scirocco and Phaeton are not expected to offer a lot in terms of sales, but rather to provide an image boost for the company. The real “earners” will have to be models such as the new Jetta and Passat.

“VW wants to capture U.S. buyers by rolling out more emotional cars and the Scirocco certainly fits that category,” said Frank Schwope, a NordLB analyst in Hanover. “In terms of volume sales, the Scirocco and Phaeton are only decorative accents, they won’t be crucial for VW’s goal to greatly increase deliveries”.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Bloomberg

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New VW Scirocco BlueMotion returns 62.8 mpg UK

Volkswagen is upping the fuel economy ante in the UK with the presentation of new Scirocco and Passat CC diesel range that benefit from the firm's BlueMotion Technology.

Starting with VW's proposal in the compact coupe segment, all entry-level and GT trim models with the 2.0-litre 140HP diesel engine now feature BlueMotion Technology modifications, which include Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems, thus helping to create the cleanest and most fuel efficient Scirocco to date.

When combined with a six speed manual gearbox, fuel economy on the Scirocco 2.0 TDI 140HP is improved from 55.4 mpg to 62.8 mpg UK on the combined cycle (51.4 to 57.6 DSG), while CO2 emissions drop down from 134 g/km to 118 g/km (145 to 129 DSG).

The German company also announced updates to the more powerful 2.0-litre TDI 170HP engine fitted to the Scirocco GT. These changes result in fuel economy figures improving from 53.3 mpg to 55.4 mpg UK for the manual gearbox model (50.4 to 51.4 DSG) and CO2 emissions reducing from 139 to 134 g/km (147 to 144 for DSG) .

The Passat CC line-up also sees BlueMotion Technology models with regenerative braking and Start/Stop systems replacing existing diesel versions. The updates help the 2.0-litre TDI 140HP Passat CC achieve a combined 60.1 mpg UK, up from 50.4, while CO2 emissions are reduced to 125 g/km, down from 146 g/km.

The 170HP version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine also boasts improved figures with fuel economy up to 57.6 mpg UK (51.4 DSG) and emissions down to 129 g/km (144 DSG).

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VW Scirocco R: Now with Optional Racing Bucket Seats

Further twisting the knife on American buyers who can't get the Scirocco R on this side of the pond, Volkswagen today announced the introduction of race car-like bucket seats for the driver and front passenger.

The delicious-looking body huggers get seat sides and headrest trimmed in "Vienna" leather with the central parts clad in "San Remo" micro fiber. In addition, the seat back is painted in a glossy black finish, while the R logo is placed on the integrated head restraint.

The price for having your tushies treated like motorsports stars [in Germany] is €3,180 or about US$ 4,400 at today's exchange rates.

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Volkswagen Builds 100,000th New Scirocco

The 100,000th third-generation Scirocco today came off the production line at Volkswagen's Autoeuropa plant in Portugal, just two years after the compact sports coupe / hatchback was launched into the market in 2008 and even though the German company does not offer the vehicle for sale in North America. Car number '100,000' is a Scirocco R 2.0 TSI, in a Rising Blue Metallic exterior finish, with a Titan Black interior.

"The Scirocco is one of the most important cars that we produce. For myself personally, it was a moving moment", said Andreas Hinrichs, Autoeuropa Plant Manager.

The first two generations of the Scirocco sold a total of 795,650 vehicles from 1974 up until 1992, when the model was discontinued.

The new Scirocco is offered with a variety of diesel and petrol engines ranging in output from 122HP (1.4 TSI) to 265HP ('R' 2.0 TSI).