Mk IV back for sale in Canada

[Tyler Gee]

I see that VW Canada is bringing the Mk IV Golf and Jettas back and taking orders on new ones. AFAIK these models are only being made in China now. Are the Canadian versions being imported from China?

 

[TDIMeister]

Only 2.slow gasoline versions are being sold, re-labelled as Golf City and Jetta City and sold alongside the Mk V Rabbit and Jetta. I believe Mk IVs are still assembled in Mexico.

 

[Nutsnbolts]

??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does this mean VW has seen the error of its ways and is bringing back our beloved A4 body style? That would be very exciting- I love that platform.

-Rich

 

[GoFaster]

It's not so much "the error if its ways" ... more like giving the Canadian VW dealers something cheap to sell against other economy cars during the year that they can't get any diesels.

2.slow gasoline engine only, and substantially de-contented. A/C is optional (bad), manual crank windows only (a good thing, in my opinion!), very restricted trim levels.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

And no diesels. Golfs are most likely from Brazil, Jettas from Mexico. I saw a couple of these when I was last in Montreal: looked nice. I like the plain interior (after all, my Jetta wagon is a GL). Too bad they can't bring in a rotary pumped TDI Wagon. Think they'd sell a few?

 

[TDIMeister]

I think it's a fine idea, but I wonder what is the affect of the parallel sale of the MkIV and MkV both in terms of sales of each model but also whether VWoC has managed to expand its market or the two parallel models just cannabilizing each others' sales. We will have to wait until next months' VWoC sales figures to see.

 

[WDM]

I've seen quite a few Golf City and Jetta Citys on the road lately, they are priced very competitively compared to other small cars in their class.

 

[GoFaster]

The Mk4 and Mk5 are priced and equipped so differently that they are probably not cannibalizing many sales from each other. There are some stick-in-the-mud people who are hung up on the Mk4 for some reason, but I suspect many other sales are coming from Civic/Corolla/Cobalt, since the Mk4 is competitively priced against these. If you want anything other than manual-crank windows and base interior, you'll be buying a Mk5. People have been harassing VW for years to bring something to market at a competitive price. Here it is.

Main reason it's so cheap now is surely that the tooling has paid for itself ...

 

[Tyler Gee]

The Mk4 and Mk5 are priced and equipped so differently that they are probably not cannibalizing many sales from each other. There are some stick-in-the-mud people who are hung up on the Mk4 for some reason, but I suspect many other sales are coming from Civic/Corolla/Cobalt, since the Mk4 is competitively priced against these. If you want anything other than manual-crank windows and base interior, you'll be buying a Mk5. People have been harassing VW for years to bring something to market at a competitive price. Here it is.

Main reason it's so cheap now is surely that the tooling has paid for itself ...

I believe another reason is the Mk IV stll meets all the current crash standards. I think they could also sell a bunch if they were offered in the USA. My main objection to the Mk V prices besides the fact that I am perfectly happy with my 2000 Jetta TDi is that a fully loaded example of any Mk V is going to sell for pretty close to a Mercedes C Class and the all new 08 C Class that is going on sale here this summer now shares platform parts with the larger E Class which means it will have their 3.0 V6 diesel with the seven speed auto as a powertrain option after the 2008 model engines are certified. The output from that engine is 208 HP and 388 ft lbs of torque. I have last years E320 CDi with the inline 3.2 diesel that can run on truck stop diesel and while it doesn't come close to the EPA numbers the way I drive it, it still does average 19 to 22 in pure city driving and even a small mix of freeway sends the average up to 27 to 31 while a run to LA from San Francisco averaged 36 mpg for the trip there and back with the CC set at 80. On the average under all conditions the numbers it returns are almost exactly 10 mpg less than my 2000 Jetta TDi on the same roads and speeds and that isn't bad for a 4000 lb luxury sedan that can go from 0-60 in 6.7 seconds and comes standard with all the toys that VW is just now starting to figure out the buyers are willing to pay extra for. The downside of a Benz for somebody like me, who got bitten by the MOD BUG badly while hanging around here and VORTEX for more than ten years is that there are an almost unbelieveable number of toys and gadgets European buyers can get that Mercedes has no interest in selling here and as you can guess Benz parts are just as overpriced as VW if not a whole lot more.

 

[rotarykid]

I've seen quite a few Golf City and Jetta Citys on the road lately, they are priced very competitively compared to other small cars in their class.

AS has been discussed on othere strings many of us don't like the A5 body , too big & heavy with too big of a hit in mpgs . The A4 is closer to a size that many of us want their car to be in size weight & mpgs .

I don't believe they would loose any sales by offering both bodies in the US with a high mpg diesel option . The ones that like the bigger heavier lower mpg A5s are not likely to go for the smaller liter higher mpg A4s .

And the reverse is also true , I have no desire to or ever expect to own the current over size & over weight lower mpg A5 diesels but would consider a new smaller liter higher mpg A4 diesel .

They should continue to sell $15 to $20k A4 TDIs for people like me along side the $23k to close $30k A5 TDIs . This would be a smart move on their part .

 

[doc_m]

yeah the owner of the local dealer here can;t have enough of the city models seems like there is not enough being made for the demand, at least at that dealer.

 

[digifant_gli]

From my experience, the City Golf/Jetta are designed to be the Japanese fighters....they are geared at people my age, who are just buying their first new car, but want a VW. In the past, if there was a strong family push to get into a VW, you could start off in a Fox. Not anymore....the City Golf/Jetta are the right cars for the right time. Brings back memories of when VW offered the Golf and Jetta CL in 1993-1996 (1997 for the Golf CL).

Interestingly enough, a couple years ago, there was a MkIV Golf CL....basically a 4 Door GL without A/C, no keyless entry, no pollen filter and a manual height adjustment for the driver seat only. Sales of these cars wern't great, but I think that was due to pricing - the Golf CL was almost as much as a Golf GL but had alot less content and a lack of options. The City models offer lots of options with minimal outlay.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

And Korean fighters. Where VW falls down against the Koreans is warranties. 10/100K is pretty appealing to a lot of people

Bring on the Polo!

 

[digifant_gli]

So I was at the Canadian International Autoshow today...and I took a good long hard look at the City Golf/Jetta. And what actually told me that they are truly a better value was when my father, who is not a car person by any stretch of the imagination said:

"Why on earth would anyone buy a crappy little Kia or an Accent when for the same money they get a car like this (City Golf/Jetta) and get a good looking car that is built well and looks like it costs twice as much..."

The man amkes a pretty convincing argument!

 

[doc_m]

So I was at the Canadian International Autoshow today...and I took a good long hard look at the City Golf/Jetta. And what actually told me that they are truly a better value was when my father, who is not a car person by any stretch of the imagination said:

"Why on earth would anyone buy a crappy little Kia or an Accent when for the same money they get a car like this (City Golf/Jetta) and get a good looking car that is built well and looks like it costs twice as much..."

The man amkes a pretty convincing argument!

Lol true when we were car shopping for the wife for a joke we went to kia took a couple cars out man she not a big car nut by any means but kinda laughed and said why would anyone buy this?

 

[digifant_gli]

Lol true when we were car shopping for the wife for a joke we went to kia took a couple cars out man she not a big car nut by any means but kinda laughed and said why would anyone buy this?

It's so true...I mean, if today's Kia is leaps and bounds better than what they were when Kia first came to Canada, I quiver to think of how bad things were back then. However, if what I have learned from reading from our friends south of the border, it sounds like Kia was even worse in the mid 90s.

Even the ergonomics of the Kia's was wierd...I mean, why the heck would they put the power button for the cruise control low down on the dashboard. I mean, it's wierd. And they aren't the only ones that do it...Honda and Toyota do it as well.

So wierd.

 

[Tyler Gee]

The big question for me is where are these new A4's being built? Has anybody that looked at a new one in a dealership checked to see where these are coming from?

 

[Nutsnbolts]

I also want to plug in my $.02 for the A4. When I saw the A4s for the first time, I literally fell in love with it- it was a big styling improvement from the A3. Then I saw the interior. I was absolutely awstruck, and the car overall had a profound effect on my psyche, just like the '68 Chrysler 300 (but when I first saw that car I was 15 years old). The A5's just don't hit me the same way on any level. With the A4 it was love at first drive, and you never forget your first...

-Rich

 

[digifant_gli]

The big question for me is where are these new A4's being built? Has anybody that looked at a new one in a dealership checked to see where these are coming from?

Jetta is being built in Mexico and the Golf is being built in Brazil.

 

[TDIMeister]

I think it's a fine idea, but I wonder what is the affect of the parallel sale of the MkIV and MkV both in terms of sales of each model but also whether VWoC has managed to expand its market or the two parallel models just cannabilizing each others' sales. We will have to wait until next months' VWoC sales figures to see.

<<
----------------------------------------------
April 2007
----------------------------------------------
City Golf 530
----------------------------------------------
City Jetta 243
----------------------------------------------
Golf 54
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Rabbit 582
----------------------------------------------
GTI 188
----------------------------------------------
New Beetle 220
----------------------------------------------
Jetta 1,233
----------------------------------------------
Eos 107
----------------------------------------------
Passat 296
----------------------------------------------
Touareg 48
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>>

<<
----------------------------------------------
March 2007
----------------------------------------------
City Golf 455
----------------------------------------------
City Jetta 290
----------------------------------------------
Golf 68
----------------------------------------------
Rabbit 542
----------------------------------------------
GTI 166
----------------------------------------------
New Beetle 163
----------------------------------------------
Jetta 1,455
----------------------------------------------
Eos 134
----------------------------------------------
Passat 300
----------------------------------------------
Touareg 46
----------------------------------------------
>>

<<
-----------------------------------
February. 2007
-----------------------------------
City Golf 410
-----------------------------------
City Jetta 113
-----------------------------------
Golf 41
-----------------------------------
Rabbit 388
-----------------------------------
GTI 108
-----------------------------------
New Beetle 100
-----------------------------------
Jetta 790
-----------------------------------
Eos 61
-----------------------------------
Passat 181
-----------------------------------
Touareg 48
-----------------------------------

<<
--------------------------------------------------
Jan. 2007
--------------------------------------------------
City Golf 453
--------------------------------------------------
City Jetta 167
--------------------------------------------------
Golf 43
--------------------------------------------------
Rabbit 504
--------------------------------------------------
GTI 110
--------------------------------------------------
New Beetle 97
--------------------------------------------------
Jetta 711
--------------------------------------------------
Eos 55
--------------------------------------------------
Passat 167
--------------------------------------------------
Touareg 56
--------------------------------------------------
>>

<<
-------------------------------------------------
Dec. 2006 Total 2006
-------------------------------------------------
City Golf 425 1,566
-------------------------------------------------
City Jetta 233 1,271
-------------------------------------------------
Golf 58 2,380
-------------------------------------------------
Rabbit 654 4,144
-------------------------------------------------
GTI 106 1,395
-------------------------------------------------
New Beetle 79 1,604
-------------------------------------------------
Jetta 1,115 17,980
-------------------------------------------------
Eos 65 376
-------------------------------------------------
Passat 208 3,716
-------------------------------------------------
Touareg 47 684
-------------------------------------------------
Phaeton 7
-------------------------------------------------

<<

-------------------------
Nov. 2006
Actual
-------------------------
New Beetle 74
-------------------------
Jetta 1,206
-------------------------
Eos 65
-------------------------
Golf/GTI 751
-------------------------
Rabbit 539
-------------------------
Passat 327
-------------------------
Touareg 61
-------------------------
>>

>>
Volkswagen Canada October 2006 sales results

AJAX, ON, Nov. 1 /CNW/ - Volkswagen Canada sales totalled 3,526 new units
for October 2006, compared with 2,982 new units in October 2005, an increase
of 18.2%. There has also been an increase in YTD sales from 26,523 in October
of 2005 to 29,110 in October of 2006, a jump of 9.8%. The monthly total is
comprised of: 93 New Beetles, 67 Golfs, 562 Rabbits, 105 GTIs, 1,688 Jettas,
314 Passats, 92 Eos, and 58 Touaregs.
We are pleased to announce that in its first month, City Golf sales are
up to an impressive start with sales of 547 cars while Jetta City sales have
tallied an equally noteworthy 489.

Volkswagen Canada reports 2005 sales increase of 3.2%

AJAX, ON, Jan. 4 /CNW/ - Volkswagen Canada sold 31,724 units during 2005, an increase of 977 units, or 3.2% compared with the 2004 total of 30,747. This result comprises 5,316 Golf/GTIs; 18,202 Jettas; 1,505 New Beetles; 5,864 Passats; 802 Touaregs; and 34 Phaetons. The New Jetta and Passat were the two strongest selling models in Canada during 2005. Sales of the newest generation Jetta increased by 3,300 units or 26.4% compared with the 2004 total of 12,497. Volkswagen Canada also sold 1,216 more Passat models in 2005, an increase of 26.2% compared with 2004. In December 2005, sales were 2,555 units, compared with 1,903 units in December 2004, an increase of 652 units, or 34.3%. In analyzing the year, John White, newly appointed Executive Vice-President of Volkswagen Canada Inc, said "Despite a highly competitive Canadian automotive market in 2005, we are pleased with the relatively strong sales results achieved with our new Jetta and Passat models. We are looking forward to maintaining our sales momentum with even more new models expected in 2006, including the new Golf, the Passat Wagon, the pocket rocket GTI, Jetta GLI, and Eos -- the exciting new Volkswagen convertible coupe."

 

[TDIMeister]

On the question whether the Golf City and Jetta City are cannabalizing MkV sales, the numbers suggest that they are not. MkV (both Jetta and Rabbit) sales have held relatively steady -- meaning no growth either -- while both City versions have propped up VWC total year-on-year volumes. However, Golf City sales volumes are consistently close to that of the Rabbit, suggesting the City models are finding new buyers who would not have otherwise bought the MkV models.

 

[PlaneCrazy]

Well the Mk IV isn't a bad car, and the 2.0 isn't nearly as bad as most make it out to be. It's no bahn stormer, not great fuel economy, but simple and bulletproof and it has decent low-end torque for an 8v gasser. There have been some issues with oil burners in the past but I believe that problem was due to improperly installed rings and it has since been cured. Good perfect first car, basic in frills, but fully-contented in safety equipment, and solid bodywork. I prefer the Golf City to the Jetta City, mainly on the basis of price. You can add options à la carte, including power windows but then the price starts to creep up to base Rabbit levels, and frankly as nice as the Mk IV is (ahead of its time too), the Rabbit is better, more powerful engine with no fuel economy hit.

Now please, PLEASE, VW, give us a TDI for the Rabbit...I could see in my future, a Rabbit TDI and a Passat Wagon TDI or Sportwagen TDI...

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I feel like I just got my own version of a Golf City: A 99.5 2-door Golf TDI. Simple, light, handles great. And a diesel. Too bad that one's not available any more--VW would sell a lot of them.