[volkman10]

VW eyes budget car cooperation with Great Wall!

Now a change in its Budget brand strategy,low cost car is a must as part of its strategy in becoming the world's biggest automaker

Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, has struggled to develop a budget car for emerging markets, a key part of its drive to become the world's biggest automaker, because it found it difficult to keep costs for the vehicle low enough.

German car maker Volkswagen is considering cooperating with China's Great Wall on a new budget model.

The company was considering developing budget sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) in China to keep up with shifts in the market.

one option that had been discussed in talks with Great Wall was Volkswagen taking a stake in the Chinese carmaker.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0ND1XD20150422

[volkman10]

VW to launch low-cost car family for China, possibly elsewhere, in 2018 -Southeast Asia.

We will bring a budget-car family to market in 2018, with an SUV, saloon (sedan) and hatchback

The vehicles -- to be built in China -- will cost between 8,000 euros ($8,932.00) and 11,000 euros

We will see if this is something of interest for other markets as well

http://www.autonews.com/article/2015...ewhere-in-2018

[volkman10]

The launch of the new budget brand in 2018 will increase the group’s portfolio to a total of 13 brands.

Originally Posted by volkman10

VW to launch low-cost car family for China, possibly elsewhere, in 2018 -Southeast Asia.

The three models under the new budget brand will initially be built and sold only in China; however, the company is also considering launching the brand in other countires as well.

The other potential markets for the new brand includes India, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Baltic states and Africa.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...ls-395918.aspx

[volkman10]

Volkswagen's budget brand is all systems go, set for a market launch in 2018 with three low-cost vehicles, SUV, sedan and hatchback.

As previously reported the new VW budget brand will makes its debut in China, adding another passenger car badge to the Volkswagen Group's already significant portfolio, which includes the likes of Skoda, Audi, and Porsche.

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015...t-for-oz-53893

[volkman10]

VW's budget Dacia rival still possible!

The VW Group is still investigating whether to launch a budget car brand in the vein of Dacia to compete for sales in emerging markets such as India and northern Africa, but expects to gain insights into the idea through the joint development of such a car for the Chinese market with its partner FAW.

Safety is a given, for instance: no compromises. But some areas, like door hinges, there are things we can do. The company has some internal standards that make our cars such high quality - but perhaps some of them are our own standards, rather than ones customers are demanding. If we can prove that is the case, then maybe we can meet our objectives for a budget brand.”

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/mo...still-possible

[volkman10]

Volkswagen confirms a new brand for Emerging markets !

Source (Volkswagen India: The Way Forward)

[volkman10]

Volkswagen's budget brand confirmed- Initially for China but later for emerging markets with India included - 2019

Volkswagen is working to deliver the initial two-model range using the PQ architecture, proving the brand will be based on a front-wheel-drive strategy. The SUV would feature a hang-on all-wheel-drive system. “It won’t be off MQB,” The brand will use some MQB components, but not the MQB architecture. If you compare this to Dacia and what it is doing, that’s more like it.”
VW company bosses confirm new Dacia-style range due in 2019, with target price of less than £8,100.

Volkswagen’s priority list, the still-unnamed brand will make its debut with a small saloon and a mid-sized SUV, but will only be sold in China in its initial stages.

The aim is for the new marque to add to Volkswagen’s 2.99 million 2016 sales in China, and after a settling-in period there target Mexico, Brazil and even India.

The budget car is still under development. Even more right now.Two years ago the car you heard about was a sedan.We changed this strategy early last year, because in China the market research was quite easy to see that when we need a budget car, we also need a budget SUV.

because the Chinese don’t tend to buy diesel passenger vehicles, and the new budget brand will be petrol-powered

Link

[volkman10]

The just announced strategic alliance between VW- TATA is speculated to evolve into VW Budget brand - the 13th sub brand and below Seat.

To initially target the Indian markets with SA markets to follow. The brand is slated to announced when its first car will be launched in 2019.

Strategy may come to Brazil as the low-cost brand of VW

Although the beginning of development is sponsored by Skoda, with models of the Czech brand, which is quite popular in India, the agreement seems the embryo of the low-cost brand that Volkswagen promised to China in 2019 .

Volkswagen has created modular platforms for tremendous economy of scale. MQB is the most popular example of this strategy. The problem is that this works in Europe, China and the US, high purchasing power markets and high sales volumes. Emerging markets, such as Brazil, have smaller volumes and a very low per capita income group. There's no point in wanting to sell Golf so you can only buy Gol. And that's where Tata comes in.

Link

[shankar.balan]

Lets not forget that no one but no one wants to be known as the "owner of a budget brand" or "owner of the world's cheapest car" a la Nano.

Everyone has some level of aspiration and being labelled "cheap"does not pander to that aspiration. Sadly, the poor Nano, which was actually a reasonable value proposition, was dead in the water before it even started life - simply because it was labelled the "world's cheapest car" and "Rs 1 Lac car" and all the rest of it.

A clear case for why its not necessarily true, that "Cheap" is always "Best."

So while a "further" budget brand may make sense for VW on ppts and excel sheets, it is not necessarily that it is going to be a resounding foregone success!

Why, for heaven's sake...even VW itself was a "mass mover" brand - aimed at the common people with its first ever offering, the VW Beetle. Perfect for the post war reconstruction times, in Germany - the VOLKS-WAGEN - "People's Car"!

Similar to the Fiat 500 in Italy and the later Austin Mini in England!

So while owing to whatever reason, VW appears to have trundled up the value ladder and so has Skoda, which was once considered to be their "budget brand", it does not necessarily follow that their new budget brand is going to work. Not an easy exercise for sure!

[volkman10]

New Volkswagen budget brand to launch in China next year.

The first China-only model from the new brand is set to be a mid-sized SUV that will cost from £5670. Launch in 2018.
Although the cars will initially only be sold in China, other potential markets include India, Latin America, eastern Europe, the Baltic region and Africa.
There are no plans to sell the cars elsewhere in Europe at present.



Skoda: In a separate project, the Volkswagen Group is also working with Tata Motors on vehicles for the Indian market. Development is being led by the Skoda brand, with Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Müller confirming that a range of bodystyles would be launched on a small, A0-sized platform from 2019.

Link

[volkman10]

More details emerge on the Budget brand from VW.

- Will not with a VW logo- a new name and Logo to be decided, will be the next Sub brand of the VAG group ( below SEAT?)
- Launch in 2018 initially only for China
- Could be available in other markets
- Start of launch with a compact SUV -Pricing to start at ~ ‎€ 6500 (INR 4.5 lakhs)

Pics are for ref only!


- In addition to the compact SUV , later a hatchback and a sedan are planned for in 2019, with prices between the ‎€ 8000 (INR 5.6 lakhs) and ‎€ 11000 ( INR 7.7 lakhs).



This model of operation is different from the TATA alliance in India which will spin off into low cost Skoda derivatives in 2019.

Link

[volkman10]

Details of the first vehicle (C/SUV ) from VW's Yet to be named sub- brand, trickles in.

- Successor to the 'still born' VW TAIGUN and to arrive in 2019.
- Loosely based on the TAIGUN Concept but longer than it.( ~ 4 m?)
- Based on rhe PQ12 platform
- Will compete with Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon

Pic for ref:


link

[volkman10]

VW confirms new budget brand - Confusing?

This is different from the ECO- platform being developed by Skoda for India.

Volkswagen to launch all-new budget brand, starting with China in 2019.

A small/ compact sedan and adding compact and larger SUV's before 2021.

Everything we discussed at that time is still on track. There is no change — no change in timing or engineering or concept

link