VW comeback in the Philippines - maybe?

[leopaul]

Read the article found on Top Gear Philippines:

A little bird has passed on some juicy bit of information, although we admit we have not formally confirmed this. Remember our recent piece on the PGA Cars Center being constructed at the Bonifacio High Street complex inside The Fort Global City in Taguig? Well, our informant tells us that the edifice in question isn't actually going to house a new showroom for either Audi or Porsche. Our mole claims the building being put up is meant to serve as a showroom for another German brand, which is none other than Volkswagen.

Apparently, PGA Cars has managed to also wrest away Volkswagen's distributorship license from the dormant Auto Prominence group. You will recall that PGA Cars successfully poached the Audi brand from Auto Prominence in 2005, resulting in some legal wrangling between the two companies. And now, according to our source, PGA Cars is adding Volkswagen to its fine collection of German car brands.

This rumor has been circulating for months, but we've had no way of confirming this. Knowing the bosses of PGA Cars, they usually don't talk to the press unless they need us to write stories about a new product or showroom. So again, we want to be responsible hacks by declaring that this story is nothing more than unconfirmed industry gossip. Maybe it's also just wishful thinking on our part. After all, who doesn't want the GTI, the Jetta and the Passat to be officially sold here? Now, if any one of you knows anything more substantial and concrete, feel free to share it with us through the comment box below.

Come to think of it, that "W" emblem gracing the façade of the building--as shown in graphic renderings at the construction site--looks suspiciously suggestive of "VW". Hmmm...

Source: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/is-vo...-arriving-soon

Could that be possible for PGA Cars to do that?! Hope so because we like the latest Volkswagen models from other countries.

[niky]

If they can successfully bypass Autoprominence's legal maneuvers... it's possible.

Good for PGA. Having VW will allow them to go after higher sales volumes and compete with more mainstream dealers. Though it remains to be seen how price-competitive VW models will be locally. I have a feeling they'll be in Volvo territory, price-wise.

[tidus1203]

^^And that's not good since VW is supposedly only Toyota/Honda territory price wise. Pero syempre CBU Germany iba ang tax classification nya... Meron bang planta ang VW dito sa SEA? Alam ko sa China meron might be cheaper to get it from China?

[ianmitsulancer]

hmm.... i think i read somewhere that they are contemplating on setting up shop in Malaysia/Indonesia... not sure though.

The New Polo Sedan/Hatch seen a few weeks back is good looking but i hope they bring in also the Golf, Jetta, Scirocco, Passat and the others.

[marg]

Hope VW works out this time. 2x na sila nag close shop sa Pinas.

Maybe the Coyuito's money can see this through.

[niky]

If it's to come from an ASEAN factory or via (wink.wink.) Singapore, they can keep the price down. It'll all depend.

VW's base models compete on the same price point as Honda and Toyota in the US through heavy decontenting. (they get the agricultural Brazilian made 2.5 instead of the more advanced direct injection engines). When they were here before, the price range was similar to Volvo... (even with some really uncompetitive engines... the 115 hp 2.0 (8 valve! How high tech!) in the New Beetle comes to mind...) I don't expect that to change much.

[uls]

kung matuloy, people can buy the Touareg rather than that overprice Porsche-badged car that uses the Touareg platform

[uls]

BTW, Audi Q7 din same platform

[coiter]

gusto ko yung scirocco. another carmaker na madaming diesel models sa lineup. sana matuloy and sana nga competitive ang prices.

[ghosthunter]

VW has been in China for years and years. Maybe we can get a few CBUs shipped over.

[tidus1203]

Yeah VW is the best selling brand in China... Almost all taxis there are those old VW Santana...

[uls]

VW has been in China for years and years. Maybe we can get a few CBUs shipped over.

huwag CBU, may magagalit

no economic benefit

dapat VW put up an assembly plant here

employ people

[ghosthunter]

huwag CBU, may magagalit

no economic benefit

dapat VW put up an assembly plant here

employ people

Hindi naman used VW cars eh. Brand new cars so di pwede considered as "junk" nor surplus.

So wala sila karapatan magalit.

[Type 100]

Apart from the (not-so-) New Beetle and the odd Caravelle, what vehicles did VW's old distributor sell in their really low-key tenure here? And more importantly, how many?

If all the "new VW distributor" will do is fuse links to the Beetle, arguably one of the few vehicles Pinoys associate with the brand, it might as well not start. The world has moved on.

VW's main cash cows are its Golf hatchback and Jetta sedan (these two are platform-mates, mechanical twins). DSG transmissions and GTIs aside, they're not exactly the most exciting things to happen to cars, compared to what already sells here. I wonder how they'd sell Pinoys into buying their cars...maybe they could do a Toyota and do the "dull but reliable" bit.

I do want to see the Scirocco 2.0T here, though.

[kotiko]

Woah this is seriously some interesting news!

VW seems like a very good brand, can't wait which cars they're bringing in.

I hope they'll have competitve prices though!

[ghosthunter]

Woah this is seriously some interesting news!

VW seems like a very good brand, can't wait which cars they're bringing in.

I hope they'll have competitve prices though!

Don't get your hopes up too high. The last time VW was in the Philippines, their best selling car was the VW Polo which was not really good to start with.

[Type 100]

Another thing.

Audi is much more established in the Philippines compared to VW...and some of you may already know that both companies are part of the larger VAG Group. In a sense, most Audis are nothing more than more-expensive VWs: an A3 is a premium Golf, for instance, and the new A1 is mooched off the modern VW Polo's platform.

Given that, how will VW position itself when it decides to make a presence here? Being German could command a higher asking price, but then again it might encroach Audi's territory too if it prices itself too far from the mainstream.

[niky]

Most likely as a Volvo-Subaru competitor. Mid-priced, sports-luxury.
Seeing how Subaru have that market all to themselves (Volvo's only Subie competitor is the C30), VW might be able to steal some of its thunder with the Scirocco and Golf.

[ghosthunter]

If VW can price their Scirocco and Golf cars in the range of others like the local Ford Focus and Subaru Impreza (non-turbo) cars, we may be looking at a winner.

[Type 100]

I can already imagine one USP for Volkswagen: It should really get into the knack of selling and promoting its high-powered, boosted small engines.

170 HP from a stock, twin-charged 1.4L mill is no laughing matter. If it's good enough to go into a Mk6 Golf or Scirocco, imagine how much better it would be mated to the even smaller Polo.

It's one party trick Audi missed out on; instead the Ingolstadt marque decided to promote VAG diesels.