German retailer KarstadtQuelle said its mail-order operation will stop selling Volkswagen’s new Golf model on the internet due to flagging demand, Reuters reported.
“We are not satisfied with the demand for the new Golf, other (manufacturers’) models are selling better,” a spokesman for the mail-order division, Quelle, told the news agency.
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According to Reutersm the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that Quelle will instead concentrate on selling General Motors’ new Opel Astra, due to be launched in mid-March.
Pre-sales of the Astra on the internet will start at the end of the month, Welt am Sonntag reportedly said, though the Quelle spokesman declined to comment to Reuters about the Astra or the timeframe.
Reuters noted that Quelle began selling the Golf last September at a 10% discount but Welt am Sonntag reportedly said that instead of expected sales in three figures, a mere 30 Golfs were sold over the internet.
The spokesman declined to tell the news agency directly how many Golfs were sold.
The spokesman did say that some 300 cars were sold by Quelle’s online service, which offers new and second-hand cars from makers including Ford, Nissan and DaimlerChrysler.
Reuters noted that Volkswagen rattled investors last week as many feared a fresh price discount indicated sluggish demand for the company’s main revenue-generating Golf V series – buyers will be offered free air-conditioning units, worth around €1,225 euros, in an that could filter through to around 350,000-400,000 cars.
