Frank TDI said:
VW has to be the most mis-managed automobile company when it comes to marketing. Why would you stop making a vehicle that you CAN'T keep on the lot. Isn't that the purpose of making a product, to sell it? I'm waiting delivery of a 2009 Jetta sportwagen. I had to eliminate the Nav system. I was told that they didn't have enough of them to put in the wagen and that was holding up the delivery of my vehicle. VW needs to change its attitude in regard to making vehicles that the PEOPLE want, not what VW thinks we need.
I read somewhere that VW is sort of unifying the line using common base parts in order to streamline the manufacturing process The Electronics package are clearly part of this concept with the RNS-510 being common to ALL VW models.
It is amazing that they can't maintain a stock of a $2000+ option.
I know that when I went to the dealership I wanted factory Navigation. I was told that I would have to wait because the navigation makes it into so few Jettas. I said I was willing to wait. It took a month to get a TDI with Nav, and I was very lucky that the wait was so short. I could have bought the exact car I wanted without NAV the first time I went to the dealership.
The JSW had basically the same problem. They don't make as many of them. It seems to me that VW is not exactly cranking these cars out on a whole sale basis but are building them more or less to dealership order. Lets face it in this day and age dealerships do NOT want larg inventories of hard to sell automobiles sitting on the lot. Business wise it is much smarter to have people LINED up to buy a car than to have an excess of cars sitting on the dock.
VW seems to be fine tuning what they want to build in mexico and what they plan to build in their new factory in the USA.
Look The econemy is NOT good for automobile manufactures (except for large gifts from the taxpayers) I don't see VW looking for hand outs. If you want a VW the way you want it with nav and all the other features. then Get in line and be prepared to wait.
I highly recommend asking if a deposit will speed things up. I placed $500 down on the exact car I wanted which was on the DOCK in order to insure that the car would be MINE. As it turns out that motivated the shop enough to acquire my car from a brother dealership making the wait shorter. Oh and BTW even though there is a perceived shortage of these cars Do not pay any sort of premium for the car. My dealership never charges above sticker. (as it turned out I paid dealer invoice). Deals are there to be had.
MY RNS-510's Sirius sat radio has crapped out and I have at least a month of waiting time in front of me before I will have a replacment Head unit in my car. Oh and it will be a refurb unit to boot NOT a NEW RNS-510 which pisses me off.
Those of you waiting for a TDI of any sort will be very pleased with the car when you get it. Mine is truly one of the best cars I have ever owned from many points of view.
TDIMOFO