Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
anythngbutgm, "What Does Subaru Know That Others Don't?" #653, 15 Nov 2013 6:36 am
I would not cry for VW. They still made more net profit in 2012 than GM, Toyota and Ford combined. That is more important than how many cars you sell.
Thank you Audi and Porsche!
In my daughter's opinion and mine, the Jetta compensates by being more fun to drive than, say, a '02 Civic. The Jetta also rides better, feels more planted and has better insulation from road noise than the Civic. She may replace it with another VW in the future.
Motor oil has been 5W40 full synthetic since first oil change. Oil change intervals have been per the owners manual. No sludge problems.
From what I've heard the 2.5 5-cylinder, which is being replaced by the new 1.8T, is bullet proof. Fuel efficiency is mediocre, though. I wouldn't be concerned about the reliability of the new 1.8T, although I'd want to cross shop it against the new Mazda 3 before committing to a new Jetta.
This is an interesting article on the subject:
Should You Buy A Car With Direct Injection?
If, on the other hand, you usually keep your cars 3 or 4 years and 40k or 50k miles, then by all means get DI. It does improve both power and fuel mileage, so why wouldn't you want it?
Last BMW 328i review talked about how the DI turbo 4 sounded like a diesel at idle. Not something I'd like...
I don’t think the auto industry is thinking about it in that way. They are concerned about fuel economy for two main reasons. The first is CAFÉ, and the second is because their customers want higher fuel mileage.
DI (direct injection) and turbo charging are the direction that car manufacturers are moving. More power from a smaller engine, less weight, better fuel economy. It’s a win/win as far as they are concerned. The only one who doesn’t win is the poor car owner, the one who keeps his cars forever or who buys a used car with more than 100k on the clock.
I think the strategy of "how long will I own one?" is the best approach to buying a D1 car right now. Toyota (and I presume others) are re-engineering D1 as we speak, because they know there's a problem.
I don't have the tech knowledge to shoo everyone away from D1, but having seen a fairly low miles, and relatively new VW with its cylinder head off, it's pretty incredible to see the amount of carbon buildup. On top of that, the whole thing is a devil to get off. Doesn't make for happy mechanics.
But these cars drive great and have plenty of pep for a small engine, so I'm conflicted about the trade-offs.
I imagine the known issues with DI is the very reason why Honda has been reluctant to use it even today.
I've read for years Honda being criticized for being "behind the times" but they obviously know better this just proves it. One of the big reasons why they are one of my favorite brands, they don't follow "trends"...
Fuel injection and unleaded gasoline also deserve credit for extending average engine life.
I wish BMW still offered a 3.0 l straight 6 without the turbo. One of the world's best engines, ever.
It's a bit hard to separate hype from real interest, but it looks like VW's CrossBlue Coupé concept is generating lots of headlines just ahead of the LA Auto Show.
Heck Even Subaru offers more unique models than VW does at this moment.
#2 VW has a serious reliability be it perception or real issue problem it needs to fix. I don't see this happening given this perception and reality has been around since the 80's
If we are only talking numbers sold, McDonald's outsells all the automakers combined. If we are talking profit, then VW is far and away number ONE. They made more net profit last year than GM and Toyota combined.
I will let you know in a couple years on the reliability issue. The first 6500 miles have surpassed the Toyota Sequoia reliability at the same point.
I know service is cheaper with VW than Toyota. I hit a turkey vulture at 70 MPH on the freeway in TN. It busted the grill on my new Touareg. When I returned home I ordered a new one from my dealer. Cost $270 and it was here the next day. By contrast I broke out a much smaller part on the grill of my 1978 Honda Accord in about 1983. Cost was $170 and it took months to get. That would be $400 in todays dollars. So I don't expect VW parts to be near as expensive as Honda.
By the way my VW dealer is very new and trying hard to make a difference. Kearney Mesa VW is highly recommended. Much better than Poway Toyota which is no longer in business.
Ranking companies on a single metric, like sales, can be misleading, which is why Forbes uses a composite ranking, giving equal weight to sales, profits, assets and market value. With this method, Volkswagen easily outpaces the No. 2 automaker on the list, Toyota, which is recovering from a series of natural disasters and self-inflicted wounds, and No. 6 GM. VW made $28.6 billion profit on $254 billion in revenues in 2012, and its assets were worth $408 billion. Yet its market value was only $94.4 billion compared to $162.2 billion for Toyota.
Overall, Volkswagen ranks 14th on the Forbes Global 2000, with Toyota at No. 31 and GM at No. 70. For more on VW’s strategy to rule the world, read Forbes’ cover story here.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2013/04/18/vw-is-already-the-worlds-lead- ing-automaker/
” Five years ago, on the eve of the Great Recession, he had laid out an aggressive plan to land Volkswagen at the top of the global auto industry by 2018, surpassing both General Motors and Toyota. “We’ve had three strong years,” he acknowledged. “You might feel good, but we have to stay focused.”
His goal is more than just topping GM and Toyota financially. By 2018 Volkswagen will be “the world’s most profitable, fascinating and sustainable automobile manufacturer,” Winterkorn says, with annual sales of 10 million vehicles and a pretax profit margin of 8% or higher, compared with the modest 6% on sales of 6.2 million cars and trucks worldwide when he took over in 2007. He also intends to have the most satisfied customers and employees (there are 550,000 of the latter worldwide) in the industry. “Only an automaker who can achieve all these goals,” he tells FORBES, “can really call itself number one with justification.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2013/04/17/volkswagens-mission-to-domina- - te-global-auto-industry-gets-noticeably-harder/
VW is over 10% profit margin. Who is this character. Hope no one uses them for financial advice.
Hyundai Motor Company (OTC:HYMTF) is a South Korean based company, being the world's most profitable major automaker measured by operating profit margin. The company has achieved over the past few years an operating profit margin of about 10%, which is much higher than its global competitors average, which includes Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Toyota (TM) or Honda (HMC). Moreover, Hyundai is also trading at lower multiples than its peers, making it a compelling value investment for long-term investors. The company has a market capitalization of $24.7 billion, and is traded in the U.S. in the over-the-counter market.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1666802-hyundai-the-worlds-most-profitable-major- -automaker-is-a-bargain
Well, better than Mitsubishi - they sold all of 12 i-MiEVs....
VW is definitely looking to make their products more affordable locally. I don't think these cheaper cars are coming to America though. VW will probably partner with a European or Asian automaker.
Audi A6 TDI finished the month at 12.5%
Audi A7 TDI at 11.3%
A8 TDI to 17.9%
Audi Q5 TDI at 14.6%
Audi Q7 TDI at 24.5%.
High-mileage, TDI® Clean Diesel models accounted for 21 percent of sales in November and 24 percent of sales year-to-date, the best year-to-date results on record. Passat TDI sales reach 32,754 year-to-date, the best year-to-date TDI results on record.
Looks to me like they are pushing their popular TDI engines to Audi and leaving a shortage for VW. They may have underestimated the demand for the best engines they offer. I can only find two VW Touareg TDIs in all of San Diego county. My dealership has not gotten one since the 2014 models have arrived. Who would want a gas Touareg???? I sure would not cry for VW. Better to have a shortage than nearly a million unsold vehicles on the lots like GM. 96 days supply seems like a lot to me.
"Browning, a former manager at General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., “did a terrific job and he knew the next chapter was going to be daunting,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst for auto researcher Edmunds.com. “To eke out even a fraction of a point of market share in the U.S. is significant, and what Volkswagen was looking to do was double sales by 2018. It just seemed unrealistic from the beginning.”
While VW has risen to become the world’s third-largest carmaker thanks to growth in China and Brazil, the U.S. has remained something of a riddle for the company. Finding a solution to make VW more than just a niche player is key to achieving its goal of becoming the world’s biggest automaker."
VW Names New U.S. Chief as Sales Slump Threatens Goals (Bloomberg)
VW $27,909,000,000
GM $7,585,000,000
Toyota $9,349,800,000
Fiat (Chrysler) $5,226,800,000
Ford lost $5,664,000,000 are they due for a bailout now?
Thankfully VW feels they can compete in the Luxury SUV market. I love what they have done with the Tourareg. Best one out there regardless of price. If they could just keep up with the demand for diesels they may even win the numbers game.
Who is Mary Barra, the next CEO of GM?
For years, Mary Barra has been a growing force within General Motors. While she wasn't a sure bet to be named to be first woman CEO of a major automaker, she certainly was well-positioned to make a run for it.
As senior vice president for global product development for the past two years, Barra, 51, has had her fingers on the pulse of the giant automaker's entire car and truck portfolio worldwide. The position brought her into direct contact with the cutting edge of the company — which vehicles are needed around the globe, and how different markets can share them.
As if the job weren't big enough, last August she was given the added responsibility of GM's entire purchasing and supply chain worldwide and became executive vice president. That put her in direct control of overseeing the thousands of suppliers and parts subsidiaries that account for everything that's needed to create a modern vehicle. It's an area where automakers are constantly tweaking in search of greater efficiencies and savings. It also can be a major headache, since mistakes made at the supplier level reflect on the automaker, not just the supplier.
Yet, through it all, she has stayed true to her blue-collar Michigan roots as the daughter of a GM tool-and-die maker. "She's the real deal, very down to earth," says Dave Cole, chairman of Auto Harvest, a non-profit devoted to innovation. "She was not raised in an aristocracy."
Barra's career at GM started in 1980, when she went to the Pontiac division as a "co-op student" through General Motors Institute, now Kettering University. She earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and in 1990, earned her MBA from Stanford.
"She was identified fairly early as someone who had a lot of potential," Cole says.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/12/10/mary-barra-bio-gm/3951015/
If I was in the market for a 2014 PU truck and wanted to put as many US workers as possible back to work, I would have to buy a Tundra at 75% US content.