No car better exemplifies the genius of Volkswagen than the 2011 Jetta.
By taking to heart the reputed advice of H.L. Mencken -- "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." -- VW has driven up the sales and revenue numbers for the Jetta, and in dramatic fashion.
I, personally, was completely wrong about the Jetta. But at least I was not alone. The vast, vast majority of other car critics have dissed the new Jetta, too.
Yet despite all the negativity, the 2011 Jetta has become a smash hit and a colossal revenue-generator. No doubt this Jetta is cause for VW to be extraordinarily optimistic about sales of the 2012 Passat, which like the Jetta is intended to satisfy the tastes of the American public.
Consider: For the first six months of this year, VW Canada sales are up about 18 per cent and market share, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, is up to 3.3 per cent from 2.9 per cent. Huge. With six-month sales of 14,041, the Jetta accounts for more than half of the 26,942 vehicles sold by VW Canada through the end of June.
VW reinvented the Jetta for 2011. The compact car got bigger, content was stripped out and the price dropped dramatically. As a result, Automotive News reports that new buyers are appearing at VW dealers, big wads of cash in hand. The bible of the American car business says the bigger, cheaper Jetta is on a record sales pace in the U.S, too.
Six-month Jetta sales hit 91,752 units in the U.S., a 66 per cent jump. Impressive as that sounds, Jetta sales in Canada are up about 165 per cent. Yes, you read that correctly -- a triple-digit sales increase in Canada for the Jetta.
VW is raking in the cash, too. In an interview with AN, Volkswagen of America CEO Jonathan Browning said the average transaction price for the new Jetta is up substantially. New customers have come on board, too.
"We are selling more units above $19,000 than ever before," Browning told AN of a car that in Canada starts for less than $16,000.
VW is about to introduce a new, non-European Passat midsize sedan later this year. It will be built at a new VW new factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., and is bigger than the Passat on sale in Europe. A new and larger Beetle is also going on sale this fall.
VW is proving that when it comes to cars for Americans and Canadians, size matters. On that point, the critics be damned. Indeed, I was among those who were not surprised when the newly redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta ranked last among the 11 small sedans tested by Consumer Reports this spring.
"The redesigned Volkswagen Jetta is a shadow of the agile, well-finished car it once was," noted CR, pointing out that, "In an effort to bring the car's starting price down, VW cheapened the previous Jetta's interior and suspension, making it less sophisticated and compromising handling."
Yeah, and so what? The Jetta sales and revenue numbers say the car that critics love to hate are all wrong. VW, taking Mencken to heart, has produced a Jetta for the masses.
Here's to my crow being washed down with a cold and delicious adult beverage.
