Heartbreak! Hallmark: All TDIs are delayed until summer '08

twigless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2007
Location
Florida
TDI
2000 Golf GLS TDI 5-speed, 2002 Jetta GLS TDI auto (wife's)
I received this email literally minutes ago...


November 7, 2007
To: All Volkswagen Dealers
Subject: Clean Diesel TDI Launch
Dear Dealer,
I am writing to inform you that the North American introduction of the new Clean Diesel 2.0 li TDI for the Jetta Sedan and Wagon has been delayed from April 2008, to late summer 2008. We will remain the first volume brand offering Clean Diesel in the USA.

This situation is due to a technical issue that was found during the later stages of durability testing.

As disappointing as this is for all concerned, our first priority is to ensure that the integrity and quality of the new technology is not compromised, so as to maintain a trouble free launch.

A new SOP date has been confirmed for July by engineering, and we will initiate our ordering activities i.e. launch cars, dealer orders, etc. in spring. For image and competitive reasons, we are now working hard to bring early promotional cars into the Country in order to give you the chance to pre-sell the production arriving in October, during the Summer months. We will continue to promote Diesel through the Dieselution Tour, Jetta TDI Cup Series, and feature the technology as a part of our Brand Campaign
in the first half of the year.

For reasons of our mutual profitability, we are investigating a number of actions to make up a portion of the TDI shortfall, such as but not limited to, obtaining additional production of high demand product, ramping up the launch production, and speeding up shipment times of the new TDI, bringing in special edition cars etc.

The launch of all other new models planned for 2008 are on time; Jetta SportWagen, Tiguan, Passat Coupe, M-Van and Touareg 2 with V6 Clean Diesel TDI. With all of these new models coming into the market, and even with the delay of the new TDI, we are targeting to grow next year, and this delay will be discounted from the BPB objectives as we have always promised.

We must now take advantage of the launches that are before us, and not let this set-back to our growth strategy cause us to lose focus on the turnaround that we have begun. We appreciate your understanding of the situation and will keep you apprised of any further developments as soon as they are available.

Yours sincerely,
Adrian Hallmark​
 

brucep

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Oct 1, 2002
Location
Vermont, USA
TDI
peebs4u2
I work for the largest computer company in the world and can relate to this all too well. All too often somone sets an unrealistic delivery date to satisfy the beancounters or stockholders. It takes real guts to stand in front of that train and delay a major launch. I, for one, am glad that they chose to do the right thing and delay the launch.

I wonder if anyone can tell us what the big problem is that caused this delay?

Now - lets just hope they deliver what they say they will. If this gets pushed into 2009, things for VW may become challanging.

Besides, my 2003 TDI has several more years of life in it. I can wait.
 

Dodoma

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
TDI
2002 Jetta White
I don't understand why VW has a problem in getting these so called clean diesels in US when the same cars are being available in Europe. After all, we are not getting any thing new or new technology. What we get is a product that is or has already been marked in Europe. VW is not taking advantage of early delievery of a product that would yield some decent profit and may bring it back to profitiability. And moreover, when it delievers, the quantity is artifically kept low so as to generate high premium and create a myth that it is selling something that is a unique technology. It should learn from Toyota: bring fuel efficient vehicles such as hybrids when time is right (like now) and in large volume/numbers and thereby cutting premium and generating higher profit. VW motto should be same with hybrid replaced by clean oil burners or diesels, rather than exhibiting those diesels around the country and raising false hope about their readily availability when none are availabe yet. I fail to understand VW management thinking. That explains why it has been unsuccessful in US.
 

frugality

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Sep 19, 2003
Location
Spring Lake, Michigan
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none, 2016 GTI
Dodoma said:
I don't understand why VW has a problem in getting these so called clean diesels in US when the same cars are being available in Europe. After all, we are not getting any thing new or new technology.
Not true. This is new technology they're working on. The US's emissions requirements are more stringent than Europe's. The reason that no TDI's have been available is that they didn't meet the new, more stringent emissions standards here. I applaud VW for 'doing the right thing' and delaying production until they can get it done right.
 

chewy

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Sep 23, 2006
Location
CA
TDI
None
Too bad about the delay.

VW better not forget that a regular this Jetta gets XX city and XX highway advertisement is a requirement. Dieselution and small scale race all you want, the average consumer still watches TV.
 
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scrubber

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Nov 27, 2004
Location
Happy Valley, OR
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2012 Touareg TDI
frugality said:
I applaud VW for 'doing the right thing' and delaying production until they can get it done right.
Totally agree. Better to get this straightened out now,
than after the release(see Navistar/Powerstroke)
Still disappointing, though.
 

TDI 4 RD

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Mar 13, 2006
Location
Hamilton, NY
TDI
2006 TDI Pkg 1
It's too bad about the delay, but as a 2006 Jetta TDI owner, this means my resale value will continue to hold steady for a few more months. :D
 

trinityneo303

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Location
San Francisco
TDI
1998 Beetle TDI (Happy Yellow Buggy, Runs On Diesel)
Does that list mean no Golf and no NB TDIs at all in the new models? And with the V6 -- is VWoA just interested in *big* cars??
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
It means no A body cars with TDIs. It's the exhaust treatment system that's the problem. The larger diesels use Urea injection and they're not having problems with that...yet.
 

DickSilver

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Jun 6, 2004
Location
Kentucky
TDI
2004 B5.5V, 1996 B4V
Yes, I too applaud VWOA's delay to work out whatever reliability issue that it is. Remember the clogged intake manifolds of the last series of TDIs? That was due to a band-aid put on the car to satisfy NOx emissions standards.

I can only hope that the new clean diesel technology has done a better job!!
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Wow. I predicted we would not even see any 2008 MY TDIs. Looks like I was right, as chances are any 'new' 2008 cars brought into the country in 'late summer' may as well be 2009 MY cars. Usually week 39 is the cutoff, but there are some exceptions (my dad's 2003 Element was built in Nov. of 2003?).

Which this means all the "bugs" won't get worked out until 2010 at the earliest. :rolleyes:
 

ColoradoDriver

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2003
Location
Woodland Park, Colorado
TDI
Previously: 2012 Candy White Passat TDI SEL. Sold back to VW. Now: Only gas vehicles, including 2017 Passat V6 SEL Premium
Even when they were planning on May 2008 arrival, the TDIs were to be called 2009 models.
 

owr084

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Location
Northern Virginia (NoVA)
TDI
Passat GLS, 2005, Stonehenge Gray
So, if I'm reading this letter correctly, the only TDIs VW has plans for right now are the Jetta and the Touareg? The Passt, Tiquan, &M-Van are gasser only?
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Even after they fix the "problem" w/emissions,I would still be leery about buying one for about a year to see how it (emission control) performs in real world everyday driving.
 

lbhskier37

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Location
Appleton, WI
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none yet (2008 soon)
tdidieselbobny said:
Even after they fix the "problem" w/emissions,I would still be leery about buying one for about a year to see how it (emission control) performs in real world everyday driving.
Well for those of us that refuse to pay msrp for a two year old car we are just going to have to take that risk. I am very disappointed at this, but hope it will mean a more reliable car at launch. Plus I hope the 2009s will have better option packages than the 2008s do. Also the only thing really new is the emissions system and that by EPA law is warranteed out to 120,000 miles I believe.
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
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ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
Twig, good post! Thanks for sharing.

I strongly believe Honda's gonna beat VWoA with the release of these new diesels!
 

KP Texan

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Joined
May 16, 2006
Location
Corpus Christi, TX
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'06 Jetta TDI, DSG, Spice Red, Beige interior, Package 1
TDI 4 RD said:
It's too bad about the delay, but as a 2006 Jetta TDI owner, this means my resale value will continue to hold steady for a few more months. :D
The exact same reason I'm not too dissapointed about the news...
 

twigless

Veteran Member
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Jan 30, 2007
Location
Florida
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2000 Golf GLS TDI 5-speed, 2002 Jetta GLS TDI auto (wife's)
No Beetle TDI 2.0

trinityneo303 said:
Does that list mean no Golf and no NB TDIs at all in the new models? And with the V6 -- is VWoA just interested in *big* cars??
There will never be another new Beetle TDI in the US. The Beetle is being fased out... my thought is the Beetle will be gone by MY2010, and we'll have a Karmann Ghia around 2012.

Actually, there is only one new new Beetle TDI in the country. In a search of VWhub, there are two listed, with one new and one demo. That means that very soon, someone will be able to say that they have the very last registered NB TDI of all time. Pretty cool.

Rabbit TDI, it will happen, but probably with the mid-cycle facelift at earliest, or with the early MkVI, whenever that is.
 

PlaneCrazy

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Joined
Jan 3, 2000
Location
Province of Quebec, Canada
TDI
Gone...
I always said I would believe it when I could get my claws around the steering wheel of one for a test drive. I guess this means I get to keep my Passat 2.0T wagon somewhat longer :)
 

twigless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2007
Location
Florida
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2000 Golf GLS TDI 5-speed, 2002 Jetta GLS TDI auto (wife's)
oilhammer said:
Usually week 39 is the cutoff, but there are some exceptions (my dad's 2003 Element was built in Nov. of 2003?).
Going the opposite direction, we received our first 2007 Mercedes S550 in December of 2005! We didn't get 2008 S-class until around September of 2007, so that's about 21 months of one model year!
 

twigless

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2007
Location
Florida
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2000 Golf GLS TDI 5-speed, 2002 Jetta GLS TDI auto (wife's)
owr084 said:
So, if I'm reading this letter correctly, the only TDIs VW has plans for right now are the Jetta and the Touareg? The Passt, Tiquan, &M-Van are gasser only?
Yes, initially. The Tiguan is definately getting the 2.0TDI, but not at launch. The M will get TDI, but it might be 1-2 years after launch. Actually, I think you can count on all models eventually getting TDI, just as it's gone in Europe. I look forward to 2016, when America, like Eu, is registering 50% diesel, thereby saving the world from total destruction.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
How is that last new NB TDI equipped? And how much would one have to pay if one wanted such an animal? :)
 

1TDI4Me

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Location
Idaho Falls,Idaho
TDI
'01 Jetta (sold, but missed) '12 Jetta TDI 6sp Malone and Rawtech, '13 Golf DSG (SOLD!)
I have been standing in line to order ASAP because no other company would have a competative model within a year. This no longer being the
case, and having experienced VW reliability and service, will own a
Honda in '09. This is a likely farewell to all.
 

vtyankee

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Sep 24, 2007
Location
Southern Vermont
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2006.5 Jetta Package 1 Campanella White
TDI 4 RD said:
It's too bad about the delay, but as a 2006 Jetta TDI owner, this means my resale value will continue to hold steady for a few more months. :D
That's the first thing I thought of too. While I have no intention of selling, if I get into an accident it will help with the insurance. ;)
 
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