Chinese NMS goes on sale for...

[BsickPassat]

http://chinaautoweb.com/2011/04/shan...r-33500-47600/



$33,500 to $47,600 (USD equivalent)..... since the Chinese NMS gets more toys like Bixenons HID's with LED drls.... they are paying the premium.... would you ???

[capclassicv2]

Simple answer... no.

Simple reason... I am not rich and if I was, I wouldn't buy a VW.

And with that said, I like the American Passat give or take a few things.

[BsickPassat]

Here's the website:
http://vw.csvw.com/zh/models/newpassat.html so people can complain about all the features the Chinese NMS gets and how we want our cake (features) and eat it too (low price)

[TOMPASS]

VW couldn't sell Passats at +/- $30K. Why would they load them up to start at $33K? It remains to be seen, but I think they made the right decision to de-content and start at +/- $20K.
Personally, if an SE model comes in at around $25K, I'm interested-at $30K, not so much.

[TWinbrook46636]

Obviously there's more to the pricing than that. I doubt adding Xenons and LED tail-lights adds $10,000 to the price. I'm guessing the entire VW lineup costs more for them and in no way translates to what we would pay in NA any more than the prices in Europe do.

"Developed by Shanghai-VW and VW Passenger Cars, the New Passat is built on the same PQ46 platform as the VW Magotan and CC, two Chinese versions of the sixth generation Passat presently produced by FAW-VW"

The article also mentions they will get both the NMS "New Passat" as well as the B7 Euro Passat in addition to the B5.5 Passat Lingyu they already sell.

[capclassicv2]

We know that it's more than just lights. There are different engine chooses, different materials, and so forth. Think of the Chinese Passat as a pseudo-A4. VWoA realizes they can't make money with that model here. Tho it's the same model, it very higher quality than the one we get. And the American one isn't bad for what it's tended to be neither.

[TWinbrook46636]

Except things like Xenons and LEDs are not exotic luxury items anymore. They come as options on cars in the same price range, on models from Ford, Chevy, Kia, Hyundai, etc.

[capclassicv2]

Understandable, but that's not the discussion. We can say how the Passat doesn't stack up all day long. But at the end of the day, it's about what we would buy. And it doesn't matter if the competition has these items or not, I wouldn't pay the premium for it.

[TOMPASS]

We know that it's more than just lights. There are different engine chooses, different materials, and so forth. Think of the Chinese Passat as a pseudo-A4. VWoA realizes they can't make money with that model here. Tho it's the same model, it very higher quality than the one we get. And the American one isn't bad for what it's tended to be neither.

Better equipped, yes. Higher quality, not so sure. The one I checked out at the Philly Auto Show came off as higher quality than the outgoing B6, and not far off if at all from my B5.5. It's not the Jetta. Other than the GTI/A3 I've generally felt that Audi is worth the price premium over the comparable VW model, but the VWs are well worth their prices as well, and personally I'd choose to save the money and go with VW. Since I'll never get to sit in or drive the Chinese version, its quality better or worse, is irrelevant. Pending a test drive, I think the new Passat will be an excellent car and a success for VW. (But then, I've never won the lottery and most of the politicians I vote for lose, so my predictive skills are suspect.)

[JerseyShoreB7]

You guys have to realize that the Passat is marketed to an entirely different class of people in China. The mid-level management crowd. (who would otherwise be driving Chinese-made BMW 5 series). One look at the video and print ads for China confirms this.

Here in the US, its $8k cheaper and ready to steal CamCord sales. Like it or not I have a feeling VW will be more profitable than ever before. At the end of the day, its a business. And if losing ten $30k Passat customers means gaining thirty $22k Passat customers, then VW has succeeded.

Not saying I wouldn't want the LEDs and xenons. The company wants you to look to Audi for those.

[Imola Yellow GTi]

It's just a freakin $500-800 headlight option... like that's gonna jack my monthly payment. Fine take 4Motion away... but don't mock us by taking away improved visibility or rear compartment comfort (rear vents/sunshades). What's the point of having the factory in TN, when you're decontenting the product while saying it still has that VW'ness at a lower price. Ability to add content is that VW'ness.

Should of released a Wolfsburg Edition in 2.0T and TDI version to please the loyalists who have kept VW floating in the US for so many years.

[Hajduk]

It's just a freakin $500-800 headlight option... like that's gonna jack my monthly payment. Fine take 4Motion away... but don't mock us by taking away improved visibility or rear compartment comfort (rear vents/sunshades). What's the point of having the factory in TN, when you're decontenting the product while saying it still has that VW'ness at a lower price. Ability to add content is that VW'ness.

Should of released a Wolfsburg Edition in 2.0T and TDI version to please the loyalists who have kept VW floating in the US for so many years.

I'm sure more options will be added in time. Building a new model, in a new plant with new workers requires a simplified product as possible. Once quality and sales are high enough then VW can start looking to spice up the product.