Volkswagen’s UK unit believes it is better placed than some rival manufacturers to ride out the current economic slump, because buyers will take much more care over their purchases.
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Speaking to just-auto at the launch of the Golf ‘Mark 6’ in Sussex, VW’s local Golf product manager Joe Wilkinson said customers would no longer be ‘frivolous’ with their money.
“They will be looking for something that is a relatively safe buy, with good quality and excellent residual values, something that will last them.”
Wilkinson added that Golf sales would also likely benefit from the current trend, steered by the economy, to downsize from more upmarket vehicles such as the BMW 3 series. Such buyers would be looking for vehicles of a quality as close as possible to those they were trading in.
In 2007, UK sales of all Golf variants, including such models as the estate (aka Jetta wagon in other markets)and the Golf Plus compact MPV, topped 74,600, the Golf itself registering 67,100 units.
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By GlobalDataSales were flat at 62,800 in 2008, despite the ‘Mark 5’ model being run-out with some of its potential market overshadowed by more diverse sibling newcomers such as the Scirocco coupe and Tiguan compact SUV.
However, Wilkinson described 2008 as a year of two halves.
“We were planning big numbers in June but in the second half of the year we saw sales drop by 20%.”
Even with the economic downturn, the Golf achieved a market share of 8.4%, compared to 8.1% in 2007, and Wilkinson expect a similar result this year. Sales will be down on last year, however, with a current prediction of 45,000, though Wilkinson admitted that predictions are extremely difficult in the current climate.
The new Golf is an evolution of the previous model, though its creators claim every visual element of the car is new apart from the roof. Design priorities were increased fuel efficiency plus quality and refinement improvements with the aim of attracting those downsizing from executive brands.
The UK’s Golf line, now on sale, has four petrol and two diesel engines and will later this year be extended by the estate, some GTI versions and a ‘green’ Bluemotion variant that achieves 99g/km CO2 emissions and 70mpg-plus fuel economy.
But Wilkinson added that there were no current plans to offer a Jetta sedan – hatchbacks rule in this market segment here in the UK.
Andrew Charman
