Playing Up Polo

I was surprised to find out that, as I was writing my previous lament about Volkswagen in the United States, Jamie Kitman of Automobile magazine put out an article very similar to mine about how VW is in trouble in America and can't seem to figure out how to get out of it.  He not only struck the same points as I did, such as pushing harder for more customers in America for the same cars that are so successful elsewhere, he went farther on the sport utility issue; while I begrudgingly acknowledged that Volkswagen needs an SUV in this market, Kitman insisted that an SUV is not the answer to VW's woes in the States.  Rather, it will only make VW farther removed in this country from its own core values and identity.

The most revealing comments Kitman made, however, concerned Volkswagen's subcompacts currently unavailable in the United States - especially (you guessed it) the Polo.  Although Kitman favors adding the Polo to the U.S. lineup, he found Volkswagen of America president Michael Horn unreceptive to the idea and firmly believing that it wouldn't sell here.  Horn seemed to favor going after another market segment instead.  Why doesn't Horn think the Polo would sell here?  What market segment would he rather pursue?  Read the article.      

Needless to say, I'm not too optimistic about VW's objectives for the States going forward.  Although I disagree with Kitman that Volkswagen should write off the light-truck market entirely, I do agree that the company is focusing too much on it and should take small cars more seriously.  Admittedly, that's a challenge, given the penchant for big wagons in These States.  And even I (and likely Kitman) would agree that not every VW model could make it here.  Take the up!, Volkswagen's smallest model and its most innovative model since the original Golf.  I love it.  I'd buy one.  And as an American, I'm probably in a minority of one on that.  I have a ladyfriend who's also a Volkswagen fan, and she's on her second Jetta.  But she wouldn't buy an up! if she could.  She thinks they're too small and could possibly be a death trap if hit hard enough.  Most Americans would agree.  They wouldn't want to be in a microcar when an SUV could hit it.

Gee, that doesn't seem to be an issue in Europe.  I wonder why?

Could it be because there aren't as many SUVs over there?

And the SUVs they do have in Europe are smaller?

Just askin'.