Volkswagen plans to price its vehicles in the US market more aggressively and drop costly features many customers there don’t want, Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn was quoted as saying, according to Reuters.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


The idea is to narrow the sales gap that separates Europe’s biggest carmaker from larger rival Toyota, a daily reported.


“We have definitely added too many technical items that (American) customers don’t want to pay for,” Winterkorn said.


By tailoring its cars more to US tastes, he said, it could offer future versions of its Jetta and Passat models below what they sell for now.


Volkswagen has struggled in the US market in recent years. Quality concerns and the weak dollar have combined to leave poor sales on high sticker prices. Volkswagen lost over USD800m in the us in 2006.

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Continental has secured the Window Displays Innovation Award in the 2025 Just Auto Excellence Awards for its Window Projection solution, transforming side windows into dynamic, data-rich canvases. Discover how this compact projection technology and intelligent software are reshaping in-car UX and opening fresh revenue streams for OEMs and mobility providers.

Discover the Impact