Episode 413 – New Volkswagen Jetta, Euro Zone Blues, Cadillac SRX Scores Big
June 15th, 2010 at 11:59am
Runtime 6:09
European sales continue to falter as May units plummet. Meanwhile, GM finally has good news to trumpet as the Cadillac SRX posts major gains in its segment. And, Nissan reveals the noise the Leaf EV vehicle will make to alert pedestrians of its presence. All that and more, plus Volkswagen unveils the completely-redesigned Jetta, and the price will shock you.
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Transcript and Story Links after the jump . . .
This is Autoline Daily for Tuesday, June 15, 2010. And now, the news.
WHERE’S THE SOLIDARITY?
Fascinating development coming out of China. Bloomberg reports that Honda wants to open better lines of communications with its workers after a series of strikes shut down the company’s manufacturing operations there. It turns out that the unions, which represent workers in China, are not elected by the workers; they don’t really represent them. Union officials are appointed by the government, and they seem more interested in keeping production flowing rather than representing workers’ demands. Honda is trying to set up a system that allows managers to communicate directly with workers.
RENT TO BUY
Hertz and AutoTrader have teamed up to help find you a used car. According to Auto Remarketing, more than 3,000 cars at about 2,500 Hertz locations in 20 states will be available to AutoTrader.com visitors. Just go the site to see if there’s a car you want. The deal is part of Hertz’s Rent2Buy program which allows you to test drive a vehicle for three days to decide if you want to purchase it. If you buy the car, you don’t pay the rental fees.
SRX SCORES BIG
It seems that GM has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately, but here’s some good news for the company. The 2010 Cadillac SRX posted the largest gains in sales and projected resale value in its segment since its debut last year. Compared to last year, sales are up 500% through May in the U.S. and the projected resale value has gone up 17%. Also, the average transaction price for the new model is $2,300 more than the previous.
EURO ZONE BLUES (subscription required)
Meanwhile, over in Europe the car market continues to soften. According to the Wall Street Journal, sales were down nearly 9% to just over 1.1 million units for the month. However sales are up just over 2% for the year. The decline is attributed to governments ending vehicle scrappage schemes and the overall weak economy. Analysts believe sales will continue to decline throughout the year.
CANADIAN CAR SALES FALL
And things aren’t going any better in Canada. According to IHS Global Insight, April sales declined nearly 5% in the country, the second consecutive month of losses. Sales aren’t expected to recover, either, due to a rise in interest rates and a slumping housing market.
VIVA MEXICO
While our neighbors north of the border are running into trouble, south of the border the industry is in much better shape. According to Bloomberg, vehicle production in Mexico was up 65% to nearly 180,000 units in May and sales were up 15%, reaching 61,000 vehicles.
WHAT’S THAT NOISE?
Electric cars can be a little too quiet, which can pose a danger to pedestrians, especially those with visual or hearing disabilities. So Nissan embarked on a very in-depth study with sociologists, psychologists, universities and institutes to come up with a way to make EVs safer. It wasn’t just a case of coming up with a simulated engine noise, they wanted something that would break out of the background clutter. So here is the sound Nissan came up with for it’s electric car, the Leaf, to make while driving down the street, followed by the sound it will make when backing up.
Too bad. One of the things I looked forward to about electric cars is how quiet they are. I can only imagine what it will sound like if we have millions of these things running around.
Coming up next, a look at the new Volkswagen Jetta and the amazingly low base price that it will be coming out with.
Volkswagen has always had pretty attractive cars, but they’ve always been kind of pricey. Now the company is clearly going to aggressively go after market share in the North American market by completely redesigning the Jetta and pricing it about $1,000 less than before. It’s a taut-looking design–very Germanic and definitely very Volkswagen. VW claims it will have the highest levels of craftsmanship and quality in its class. And just to give you an idea of how aggressive he company is getting, the base price of the new Jetta will be around $16,000. They’re also making it bigger than any previous Jetta. Rear legroom, for example, is two and a half inches more than before. Four engines will be available, including a 2.0 liter turbo diesel. And all models will come standard with a manual transmission, with a 6-speed dual clutch automatic available as well. There are not a whole lot more details at this point. VW just released these tantalizing details this morning, and we’ll learn more about the car in the near future.
And that’s it for today’s top news in the global automotive industry. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you tomorrow.
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Comments (52)
June 15th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
John – Perhaps EV makers will consider other sounds for their vehicles … the sound that George Jetson’s flying car made would be cool. Maybe there’s a market for downloading different sounds for EVs, just like there are for cellphone ring tones.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
The sound the Leaf makes is another reason why I would never buy the thing. VW can charge the low price for the Jetta due to third world labor costs in Mexico and at the starting price you’ll most likely not get a/c, radio or much of anything else. Hyundai on the other hand is loading up their cars with more and more standard equipment at a very good price. Not built in Mexico.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
John ;
Too funny that you’d bring the SRX up in such a positive light considering i just returned from a vacation in Vail where I’d rented the 2010 Cadillac SRX for ten days .
Unfortunately my impression is somewhat less than the sales figures may be telling . FYI I’m comparing the SRX to the Infiniti FX35 I’d rented three previous trips . All to Vail CO .
I found first and foremost that the SRX’s blind spots and outward vision were abysmal . Parking it was a nightmare in the small parking areas Vail provides and I never felt secure as to where the extremities of the car were . Believe me when I say that the Corvette C6 has less blind spots and better outward vision than the SRX .
Second was the power. Either putt putt or full on ( as full on as the SRX could muster ) the accelerator was the least linear I’d ever experienced in a car of this caliber and price . Its power and acceleration was well down from the FX35
Third was the handling . The only place this car was comfortable to drive was on straight level highways ( bit hard to find in the CO high country . the Journey from DIA to Vail was unsettling and our day trip to Leadville was miserable because of the poor dynamics and excessive body lean .
Fourth was the brakes . Saying they were made out of wood is an understatement . Stopping the SRX even from a moderate in town speed was less than comfortable .
Last was the MPG . The SRX getting a good 35% less MPG than the FX35 in spite of the FX35 being driven much more aggressively .
Now I will admit our first two days driving around the City of Denver before heading to Vail the SRX temporarily did impress . But once getting on to I-70 that positive impression disappeared very quickly .
So I can only hope those SRX’s being sold are going to elderly slow in town drivers with little or no intent of driving at a swift pace or in the mountains anywhere in the US .
In closing the SRX to my mind is a prime example of everything thats wrong with GM today . The C6 Corvette being the only exception .
June 15th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
John,
I would love to hear an electric car (especially the Chevy Volt ) that sounds like Kitt from 80′s Knight Rider TV Show. Not the stobe light sound so much and the jet like sounds Kitt made as it drove by.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Making electric vehicles noisier in my opinion is ill advised. Typically the only sound most newer (or at least many new) vehicles make while coasting is tire noise. A cacophony of whirling ‘space’ vehicle sounds will be more annoying than anything. Another example is those stupid (IMO) center-brake lights that flash when brakes are applied (sure it makes the vehicle a little bit more noticeable) but if all vehicles were equipped that way (say a federal mandate, heavon forbid) then the multitude of flashing would negate any positive effect and then actually more distracting than no light at all.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
FYI ;
If I learned only one thing from my SRX experience its that the 20 minute test drive Auto Dealers give you to decide on a car purchase is absolutely meaningless and worthless .
Had I been in the market to buy the SRX and based my decision on that first twenty minutes I’d of most likely taken one home .
Sadly within a day or two I’d of regretted that decision for the length of time I owned it .
June 15th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
tjM, that may have been the most damaging critique of a car I have ever read. But I just saw one an hour ago; it sure is perrdy.
June 15th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
I own an Equinox, I am rebuilding a Terrain, & I have tested the SRX.The only difference I can see is the start/stop button.
June 15th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
On EV’s ;
It’s interesting that today both the NYTimes and Autoweek are reporting that the production costs for EV’s and especially the batteries for them show no , none , zero , chance of coming down anytime in the near future .
Leading one to believe that an EV in every garage is at the moment a pipe dream at best .
June 15th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
HtG;
Just know it gave me no pleasure what so ever to give such a damaging critique . when I first spotted the SRX on the Hertz lot i was giddy with joy to give it a go for the ten days we’d be renting it . But as you can see by my report that joy was promptly crushed .
diffrunt
I too wondered if the SRX was based on those vehicles but after a bit of research I found that the SRX is on a proprietary platform . Which to my mind makes it even more of a disappointment as Cadillac /GM obviously had every chance to get the car right
June 15th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
HtG et. al.
FYI ; Out of blind patriotic pride I really wanted the 2010 SRX to at least be the equal , if not superior car to the FX35. Hence my giddiness at having the chance to drive one so soon after having last rented the FX35 ( March ) Sad thing is i forgot to mention that in the SRX on the way back to DIA from Vail ( I-70 again ) we ran into snow on Vail Pass and again on the Eisenhower Tunnel Approach . Every slight ridge of snow i hit in passing or changing lanes shoved the SRX almost violently from one side to the other making such maneuvers very unsettling .
June 15th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Patriotic? It’s made in Mexico!
June 15th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I bet that SRX rental had the 3.0 engine which should never have been used in that car. Replacing it with the 3.6 wouldn’t fix all the problems tj Martin described, but it would probably fix the lethargic power issue.
June 15th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
SRX is one very nice looking Vue
June 15th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
there is also the issue of altitude in CO. As I recall, the Eisenhower Tunnel is near the continental divide, where I recall starting to see different colored spots a la Bugs Bunny during a ill advised solo hike. Still, rear visibility issues don’t seem to be indicated.
June 15th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
The SRX comes in a couple of different flavors plus two different engines; there is the basic, the luxury, the performance and the premium. I believe it is the performance version that you can get the 2.8 turbo, which is supposed to have it’s act together for sporting driving. Not to detract from your evaluation but the SRX does a lot of good things for a lot of different people; it just isn’t what you were looking for.
June 15th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I too have found that a 10 min test drive is meaningless, just rent one for a day or two b4 spending all that money on a new vehicle. Sometimes I wonder if anyone really tries out these vehicles before they get put into the market. Some brands just have the whole ergonomics thing worked out in a way that when you drive ANY of their cars, you instantly become familiar with it and fell like you’ve been driving it all your life. I recall the first time I ever drove a Lexus LS, I had not driven a large car in more than a decade, but yet I felt right at home and found it extremely easy to drive.
June 15th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Why all the effort to create noise for EVs? Shouldn’t the onus be on the driver to avoid all collisions?
June 15th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I’ve been reading reviews on the SRX and they’re not that good, on the other hand, the best kept secret in a mid-size cross over is the MB GLK, it is priced to compete with the SRX and yet has a much better interior and superior powertrain plus it’s not derived from a cheaper base model. One reviewer went as far as to suggest a nicely equipped Equinox instead of the Caddy and save yourself a few bucks.
June 15th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I don’t see how that squeal will help anything at all. Noises at that frequency tend to be very non-directional and if a sight impaired person cannot identify the direction, how does it help? Those sounds are nearly identical to my constant tinnitus squeal! Also, how do these sounds help hearing impaired folks? Has anyone actually engaged sight impaired folks to help with this research? Yes, these folks have adapted to using the sounds of cars because the sound is what was available to them? Is that best? Is there a better method? I don’t know because I’m not sight impaired.
June 15th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
my car is pretty noisy and yet, I have to avoid people walking in parking lots either listening to their Ipods or talking on the phone, oblivious to their surroundings, so it’s not the cars’ fault, it’s distracted idiots.
June 15th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Lots of good comments about my SRX review .
But just as a reminder I was comparing the SRX head to head with the Infiniti FX35 .
Also the Hertz SRX is the Luxury version so it does have the 3.0 . But still why should it do so poorly at altitude when the FX35 just flew over the passes ? (same trip same basic roads same altitudes )
The rear vision on the SRX as is the rest is abysmal . The sonar bit just plain annoying and useless .
FYI ; The wife and I are from CO originally so we’re used to the effects of altitude on a cars performance . And the FX ( computer altitude adjuster perhaps ? ) had none .
Pedro Fernandez ;
You’re absolutely correct on the GLK assessment . I’ve yet to read a less than stellar review and what few negative comments there are , are of little matter . The only concern I have with the GLK is the MPG which for its size isn’t great .
June 15th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
@ Tj Martin:The SRX has electronic fuel injection that has sensors that detect change in pressure,(altitude)rich out/lean out etc all using the oxygen sensor,mass airflow etc.That shoudn’t be any kind of excuse at all for poor performance from a “high-end American luxo barge”.My 08 Jeep JK doesn’t have the sophisticated sensors the caddy does and adapts just fine when I take her up high here in Oregon.I’m afraid that junk is as junk does…….do ya hear me now gm?
June 15th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Here’s some news for you John:http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/24002/
June 15th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/24002/
June 15th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
G.A.Branigan Says:
June 15th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
“@ Tj Martin:The SRX has electronic fuel injection that has sensors that detect change in pressure,(altitude)rich out/lean out etc all using the oxygen sensor,mass airflow etc”
The engine should run the correct fuel/air mixture, but you still lose power at high elevation because the air is less dense.
June 15th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I’m not sure how it happened, but in the U.S., it seems to be the common attitude that pedestrians are supposed to stay out of the path of cars. In much, or most of the world, drivers of cars are supposed to watch out for, and avoid pedestrians. The “pedestrians beware” situation is why electric cars might need to make some noise.
June 15th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Nissan better hope Paramount doesn’t here this car. They may sue for stealing Star Trek sound fx’s
June 15th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
How many miles were on that rental SRX? I know from experience that some ECUs won’t “turn loose” of the ponies in an engine until a certain number of miles are on the clock.
First time I ever experience that was with a 1995 Thunderbird 4.6L I had leased. I was mildly disappointed with the performance until at about 1500 miles, I punched the throttle to inject myself into a heavy, fast-moving lane of traffic and the thing shoved me back in my seat HARD. Shocked the heck out of me.
Just a thought.
June 15th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
When I drove a Honda EV test mule, most of the good comments I received were for the quitiness of the car.
June 15th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Since internal combustion engine-powered cars aren’t THAT noisy nowadays, it shouldn’t be hard to develop an inexpensive transistorized noisemaker that will put out enough sound so that an electric car will be no noisier than, nor quieter than, most cars on the road now. If blind persons can hear today’s not-very-loud conventional cars, they can hear an electric car equipped with said device.
June 15th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
“Also the Hertz SRX is the Luxury version so it does have the 3.0 . But still why should it do so poorly at altitude when the FX35 just flew over the passes ?”
The SRX has 38 fewer horsepower and weighs 200 pounds more than the FX35, which should explain why the FX is faster in the mountains, or anywhere else. Things would be different if the SRX had the other available engine, a 2.8 turbo with 300 hp.
June 16th, 2010 at 5:33 am
The excellent new Jetta for $16,000 is an amazing bargain and it shows how serious VW is to double its sales in the US within the next few years. Even if it does not have a radio, you can buy a far better stereo than the factory unit for much, much less, and many former Golf-Jetta buyers upgraded theirs anyway.
June 16th, 2010 at 6:35 am
The Honor Roll:
Current nameplates with 8-speed transmissions
• Audi A7
• Bentley Mulsanne
• BMW 5 series, 7 series, ActiveHybrid 7, X5
• Lexus GS 460, IS-F, LS 460
• Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
• Rolls-Royce Ghost
• Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid
Especially at high speeds in Europe and anywhere else they are allowed, the extra gears make excellent sense, providing quiet operation with better fuel economy and less engine wear.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100614/OEM05/306149997/1436#ixzz0r0kZKYeQ
June 16th, 2010 at 8:07 am
“It’s all speculation until we get official pricing from VW of North America, but according to Autoblog, the new Jetta will be priced starting “around $16,000″ when it shows up stateside this October. With Chevy’s Cruze starting at $16,995, this sounds utterly LUDICROUS, except if GM has already planned to offer the cruze with $3,000 discounts and incentives from the get-go.
June 16th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Is there any word on what the standard engine will be in the new Jetta? Also, any word on when the wagon will arrive?
June 16th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Question for Nick S. Why is Honda one of the few carmakers selling light cars like the Civic? At about 2500lbs, those cars are hundreds lighter than most other cars. What do Honda know that the rest don’t, and is lightweight really worth all the effort? Can extra weight all be blamed on mandated safety equipment, when Honda faces the same regs?
June 16th, 2010 at 8:44 am
@ Nick Stevens:
You said “The excellent new Jetta for $16,000 is an amazing bargain”.
How do you know this when the car has not come out yet?
June 16th, 2010 at 8:45 am
HtG Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 8:38 am
“Why is Honda one of the few carmakers selling light cars like the Civic?”
A Civic weighs about the same as a similarly equipped Corolla, a little over 2800 pounds.
June 16th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Herman, the current civic is relatively light because it has been around for far more than its usual 4 year model cycle, since 2005. The new civic was heavier and bigger, and to its credit Honda scrapped the design and is going to delay its sale until it is improved for MPG etc.
Lightweight is a cost-benefit thing, but it also depends if the consumer wants to pay extra for it, then they may still go that way even if the MPG benefits are less than the extra cost.
Honda always produced fuel efficient vehicles. I am now in my undisclosed location overseas, commuting to my office in a 1992 civic hatch bare-bones edition that weighs only 1875 lbs or less (875 KG?) but its 75 HP are fully adequate around town and on leisurly country roads. It can do 106 MPH on the highway, too, if needed, but usually I go 75.
June 16th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Or maybe it is a 91. It was bought at the end of 1991, and still has a negligible no of miles (77k km)
June 16th, 2010 at 8:49 am
“# Drew Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 8:44 am
@ Nick Stevens:
You said “The excellent new Jetta for $16,000 is an amazing bargain”.
How do you know this when the car has not come out yet?”
Because I can read. The car may not have come out, but many of its SPECS have. It is even 4 ” longer than the current jetta, an even more substantial car. And I have no reason to believe that the next Jetta will be much cheaper inside or out than the current one. Do you?
June 16th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Here are some details from one of the many articles about the new Jetta (every auto site has one), this one from the The Detroit News
“Volkswagen AG rolled out an all-new Jetta compact Tuesday for the American market that’s larger, yet more affordable, than the car it’s replacing.
With its starting price of $16,000 — $2,000 less than the current Jetta — the new model has been designed to compete more effectively against Asian brands.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for Volkswagen and for Jetta,” said Stefan Jacoby, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America.
“At an extremely attractive price, this car is sophisticated, fun to drive and practical.”
Volkswagen is working to rebuild its U.S. presence as part of an effort to become the world’s largest automaker by 2018.
Once the leading import brand in the United States, Volkswagen has been pushed aside by Japanese and South Korean automakers whose cars are more affordable.
Although the VW brand is still strong in the United States, resonating with younger buyers, the German automaker’s share of the U.S. market has shrunk to just 2.3 percent this year.
The new Jetta, which goes on sale in October, reflects VW’s strategy to develop compact and mid-size models specifically for the U.S. market.
“When you look at the starting price, which is pretty aggressive, and the styling, which has a premium look to it, I think they’ve got a strong contender in that category,” said Karl Brauer at auto research site Edmunds.com.
“They’re going to make more people consider it with that kind of price,” he said.
The 2011 Jetta will be available with four engines, including a 2-liter turbodiesel direct-injection engine. It comes with standard manual transmission, with optional automatic transmission.
As that’s normally an $800 option, “the real starting price for the majority of Americans will be $17,000,” Brauer said.
The car seats five and is 182.7 inches long, 3.5 inches more than the current Jetta. VW says the new model offers best-in-class rear legroom.
Its side mirrors, featuring integrated turn-signal indicators, resemble those of VW’s stylish CC.
The 2011 Jetta for the U.S. market will be built in Mexico, while an all-new mid-size model will be produced at a plant VW is building in Chattanooga, Tenn.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100616/AUTO01/6160344/1148/auto01/Volkswagen-hopes-to-increase-U.S.-sales-with-larger–cheaper-Jetta#ixzz0r1JgWaKn
At 182.9 ” long, the Jetta is about as long (and must be MUCH taller) than my Accord coupe 1990 5-speed, and much longer than civics and corollas.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:11 am
I found that a 2.0 liter non-turbo gas engine will be standard in the new Jetta. The DSG will be available with the TDI and the 2.0 turbo.
So far, I haven’t found what the fourth available engine will be. Hopefully in won’t be the underwhelming 2.5 five cylinder. I’d like to see a small turbo, like the 1.3 TSI sold in Europe. That engine should provide adequate zip, and very good gas mileage.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Nick, do you think Honda is even able to make such a light car as a 90s era Civic, and still be safe? Or do the interests of capital efficiency start favoring other savers like ‘stop-start’ or 8speed? VW seems to be betting a lot that we americans need to be seen in big sized sedans, not like Euros who can still skosh their way into A cars like Ford Ka.
I’m trying to get over my own attachment to lightweight and aero efficiency. So much expensive equipment just seems inelegant to me.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:19 am
G.A. Branigan ;
Want to have a good laugh if you’re reading this morning ? A 2009 Jeep Wrangler 4 Door blew by the SRX like I was standing still ( with my foot mashed to the floor ) on the way back from Leadville . With less body lean to boot !
And as to the Altitude excuses and HP- Weight issues others have mentioned here need I remind all that the SRX Luxury’s cost is higher than a base line FX35 that runs circles around it , has better outward vision ( yes I know thats hard to believe looking at it ) and gets better MPG
June 16th, 2010 at 9:25 am
VW – Audi etc.
Take a good long read of all the VW/Audi Owners Forums and Message Boards as well as have a nice long talk at your local bar with an upfront VW/Audi mechanic over a Beer before plunking down your hard earned cash on one or touting their praises .
You’ll find the honest owners ( not the idealogues ) have nothing but problems with them and the mechanics hate working on them only doing so because the pay is decent .
June 16th, 2010 at 9:44 am
one of the most profound memes on the internets is the ability to type X sucks into a search engine, and hear all the belly aching you like. VW certainly has its work cut out for it.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:24 am
@ TJ Martin:LMAO…..thanx.I am one of the few JK owners that doesn’t complain about the 3.8.It has decent power and decent mpg provided one doesn’t put on 35′s with a lift etc.There had to be something wrong with that caddy.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:51 am
I don’t understand why anyone would be in denial regarding the VW/Audi quality issues. The fact is that they’re nice driving cars that give you the impression you’re driving a more expensive vehicle, but their reliability sucks and they cost a lot to fix. Otherwise VW would have not lost the small car market to the Japanese so many years ago.
June 16th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
The SRX with the 3.0 engine is about 2 seconds quicker 0-60 and 2 seconds quicker in the quarter mile than a Wrangler. You’re right, G.A., there had to be something wrong with that Caddy, or maybe more likely, the Wrangler had a good head of steam when it came up behind and passed the SRX.
Something else in tj’s SRX report doesn’t seem to make sense. Most of the published road tests of the new SRX give it decent, to high marks for ride and handling. As far as the engine, it is smooth and quiet, but needs to be revved to make power, and the power is only adequate. A car that expensive should have a more powerful standard engine, unless there is a tradeoff of good fuel economy, which is not the case with the SRX.
June 16th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
pedro fernandez Says:
June 16th, 2010 at 10:51 am
“I don’t understand why anyone would be in denial regarding the VW/Audi quality issues.”
VW/Audi quality seems to be getting better, but it’s still now where it should be. I hope they can keep improving in that area, because they have a lot of cars I like.