Loading ...
The NMS 2012: the future great Volkswagen.
Have you ever noticed how car markets differ depending on the country, the region and even the city? Here in Canada, what sells well in Ontario may not enjoy the same popularity in Quebec, the Maritimes or the Prairies.
Ontarians like mid-size cars, Quebecers prefer compacts and Western farmers appreciate their pick-up trucks. On a smaller scale, a dealership can radically influence what cars people will drive in their community. An astonishing number of Volvos were once seen on the Côte-Nord in Quebec, and hundreds of Peugeots in the Gaspé peninsula. There are differences between national markets in North America as well. Americans like everything to be big, whether its sedans or trucks, and Mexicans prefer subcompacts with a real trunk. Canadians are very price-conscious, no matter what the size.
Despite these regional differences, car manufacturers have often tried to impose an “international” car or a “world” truck, i.e. a single vehicle that will appeal to all markets. The economies of scale made possible by manufacturing huge numbers of identical vehicles were meant to compensate for the lack of regional appeal. The technique did work for a few decades, but the trend now is to move towards specialized vehicles that are geared to local tastes. Toyota, for example, now offers only three truly “world” vehicles, i.e. the Prius, RAV4 and Yaris. The rest of the line-up varies from one country to the other.
It’s with this idea in mind that Volkswagen will launch a new mid-size sedan (codename NMS) to compete (in North America and possibly China, where big cars are in) with the most popular full-size models like the Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry, all North America-only models for now. The Passat CC will continue to offer European styling in the mid-size range, whereas the NMS will fit into the category of the more affordable sedan.
As far as we know for the moment, the NMS will offer:
- Long wheelbase for more legroom
- Large trunk
- High-quality interior materials
- Advanced connectivity for cell phones, MP3 players, etc.
- Automatic double clutch DSG transmission
- Manual transmission
- TDI diesel and FSI (direct fuel injection) engines
- Front-wheel drive, and maybe all-wheel drive
It should look like this and will be produced in a new VW factory located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Launch is expected in the fall of 2011 as a 2012 model. Even if the NMS is more geared to our southern neighbours, it should also be popular here if VW manages to maintain prices close to that of its competitors. In any case, the NMS will benefit from the advantage of its TDI offering.
What do you think? Let’s talk.
0 Comments