Volkwagen in motion

By Alastair Sloane

A Volkswagen Golf sporting a 2.8-litre V6 engine, a six-speed gearbox and electronic four-wheel-drive will be the carmaker's fastest hatchback yet - and it will go on sale in New Zealand next year.

So too will a top-range variant of the Passat sedan and estate, using the four-wheel-drive system called 4motion, an electronic development of Volkswagen's excellent Synchro unit, and either the V6 engine or a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.

The new models are part of the carmaker's plans to continue expanding its range of vehicles in Asia-Pacific.

"We have very large expansion plans for Volkswagen in New Zealand," said Volkswagen sales manager Dean Sheed.

"We are constantly looking at Volkswagen's worldwide range to see whether the vehicles are applicable to the New Zealand market.

"The company has some very good 4motion products, both in the Golf and Passat. They will obviously be range-topping vehicles and we will evaluate both models next year."

Sheed believes the four-paw models fit into the popular trend towards "lifestyle" vehicles - those that can go just a bit further than many others. "The safety aspect of four-wheel-drive is important too."

The 4motion Golf has just been launched in Europe. The four-wheel-drive system is similar to that used in the Audi TT Quattro, the Golf's stablemate. It uses a Haldex clutch capable of distributing 100 per cent of the power to either the front or rear wheels.

The 4motion Golf's V6 engine produces 150kW, considerably more oomph than the 129kW the previous front-drive model VR6 Golf delivered.

The 4motion Passat won't be available until next year. Passat sedan and estate models currently use the carmaker's tried-and-true Synchro system.

"We will be looking to see which of the 4motion Passat models, the 1.8 or V6, will be the most appropriate for New Zealand," said Sheed.

"The 4motion range will be high-end stuff. We wouldn't be competing with Subaru directly but if you look at the price range of some of Subaru's higher series we can offer German quality for not much more."

Subaru is the acknowledged all-wheel-drive specialist. Its top-end sedan, the one which would compete with the Passat, is the 2-litre twin-turbo RSK B4 - $55,990 with a five-speed manual gearbox and $58,990 with a clutchless manual/automatic system called Sportshift.

Meantime, Sheed said Volkswagen was in the process of evaluating two new models, the Lupo and Bora.

"But that is not to say that we will launch both those models." said Sheed. "I think we will probably prefer one more than the other, in terms of its positioning."

The small Lupo would be the entry-level model, priced at a bit over $20,000 and underpinning the slightly bigger Polo. It is available only as a three-door, powered by a 1.4-litre engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

The Bora is a four-door sedan and would be positioned between the Golf and Passat. "It is not simply a booted Golf (unlike the previous model Jetta). In Europe it is a 3-Series BMW competitor."

Sheed said Volkswagen planned to keep its model range small, despite expansion plans. "We don't want to grow too much," he said. "We are very nicely positioned in the market, above the mass market but beneath the big German three (BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz).

"About 40 per cent of our sales are coming from non-Volkswagen customers, from the mass market. So we are certainly getting conquest sales. That's where we are growing from.

"We sold over 50 Volkswagens again last month, which puts us right behind BMW on a year-to-date sales position. So we are in front of all our European competitors except BMW.

"Our growth has been very good. We sold last year's entire sales volume in the first six months of this year. We will end up at the end of the year at about 65 per cent ahead." The New Beetle is expected in December and will fall into next year's sales.

Volkswagen didn't have an office in New Zealand until 1994. Up until then the only VWs on the road were well-worn Beetles, Kombis, imported Golfs and Jettas.

But things have changed. Asia-Pacific executive Marck Doell flies in on Monday to open Continental Cars' new Volkswagen showroom in Newmarket.

Doell is assistant to Dr Robert Buechelhofer, a member of the Volkswagen AG board and the president of its Asia-Pacific operation.

Buechelhofer said on his last visit: "The Asia-Pacific remains one of the world's strongest potential markets for long-term growth and that's why we are here.

"As we introduce new models and expand the range here, our presence will continue to grow. We will capture attention, set trends and excite our customers at a level far in excess of what the market share would indicate."

Dr Buechelhofer said the VW Group would continue to have a presence in each major market as competition became global and economies more interlinked.

"The number of fully independent car manufacturers has fallen. The only way to guarantee economic security across the world's increasingly fragmented markets is to deliver as wide a range of products as possible.

"Our philosophy is to provide just that - a family of marques each with its own natural market and audience of customers."