Polo not heading to the States after all...

dxg · Post by **dxg** » Fri May 13, 2005 1:27 am

So, after all the rumours, the ongoing speculation that the Polo would mark VW's return to "people's cars"- style affordable motoring in the States appear to have been killed off by a recent in depth interview with the Vice President of VW USA.

Specifically, are you talking to Germany about bringing in the Polo or perhaps this new small Fox?

The answer to that is no. We have "clinic-ed" these cars in America in the past and they do not clinic too well - they may be a little too small. Generally, that is an accepted position. But it still means we can talk.

Source: http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102351

Deek.

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Fri May 13, 2005 3:01 pm

americans are daft

sure the polo wouldnt sell because its not a v8 powered pick up truck.

an american guy who works with us, from his office on boston, ma in the states, while visiting here was saying that petrol is 2$ a gallon - the highest its ever been in the states.

and cost per mile is probably the same as here.

as.

he drives a v8 powered pick up.

it has high emmisions. so is fitted with emissions cutting technology, which saps the engine of power and increases consumption.

his already abismal mpg is even more abismal.

mile per mile it probably costs the same as here.

now if they drove 1.4 litre polos - it would be a different tale. already lower emmisions, no need for power sapping gubbins.
they'd then have 2$ a gallon petrol taking them twice as far.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Fri May 13, 2005 10:03 pm

Funny, Toyota do a fine trade in Yaris's (or Echos) in Canada and I think the States too... or americans are importing them, anyway. And Mercedes is seriously testing the water for taking the Smart there.

This story has been dead and cold so long though, I thought they gave up ages ago. It was touted once or twice and then forgotten.

Until their fuel prices go up to... i dunno..... sayyyyy half of ours (!) they're not going to go back, mass market, to small cars. It's just too much a part of the big-ass, dumb-ass, lowest common denominator american psyche, the sort of thing that Michael Moore, the Supersize guy and (!) the offspring have lead campaigns of various sizes against and largely failed.

The "Geo" arm of GM used to sell 1.0 and 1.3 rebadged Suzuki Swifts there, as the "Metro". They sold better than might be expected, but not enough that they kept them on sale for more than about five years. Similarly with Ford's horrid "Festiva" (not a fiesta, but a mazda 121..). Bigger and more obviously "american" brands than VW have tried and failed - which is odd, because the interior of an original beetle, well loved by many in the states and now, of course, aped in a 2-litre golf-based travesty, was smaller inside and slower than the polo itself.... (the "new beetle" has about as much interior room as one, too!)

little about the usa makes sense, though

Krupa · Post by **Krupa** » Sat May 14, 2005 5:08 pm

I thought the Festiva was a Kia Pride?

Repulsive little s**t anyway, no wonder it didn't sell well.

The US get this:

We get this:

OK so the Fiesta isn't the best looking car, but it's a damned site better than what they get!

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Sat May 14, 2005 5:31 pm

After experiencing the traffic in Toronto last year, I can start to understand why the Polo wouldn't sell. As tough as it may be, when wedged amongst Hummer H2s, Lincoln Navigators and Ford F-350 pickups I reckon most people would start to feel slightly "vulnerable"!

Also I reckon the general North-American apathy towards hatchbacks is a problem as well. Whilst I did see a lot of Toyota Echo's (Yaris) over there, the vast majority of them were 4-door.

Always found it interesting how VW USA market the Golf GTi as a seperate model.

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Sat May 14, 2005 6:27 pm

the smart car isnt allowed to be driven on the roads in most states for legal reasons (forgot what)

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat May 14, 2005 8:20 pm

because it's got an engine smaller than 1300cc and total weight under 1 tonne?

or maybe because they're making a lot of them with diesel engines now, and many states STILL ban them in private cars because of how smoky the old 60s/70s ones were....

and..... i thought the kia pride was itself an old 121?
too bad they didn't import our fiestas really, apart from the gutless zetec i learnt in i quite like them, particularly the old ones. some genius went into the original design i reckon, and it's ebbed away since... they'd have probably sold like hot cakes, and they'd be "all american" too (especially with the low-revving, pushrod engine) rather than overly fizzy rebadged imports

4 door yaris......? you mean.. 4 door hatch.. or, as im dreading, some kind of awful USA-only saloon bodge job?
(to interweave subjects, i saw a saloon version of the more up-to-date mazda 121 in a bournemouth car park.... why did they bother? it looked a mess and you probably couldnt get a full weeks shopping in the boot)

edit - the smart car thing could be because of it's retarded three-bolt wheels. i'd happily ban them for just that reason.

Krupa · Post by **Krupa** » Sat May 14, 2005 8:33 pm

Tahrey1043 wrote:and..... i thought the kia pride was itself an old 121?

You're probably right, when I read that I thought "hey, I didn't know they were 121s", I had a look on Google Images and couldn't find any 121s that were like Festiva/Pride so gave up.

"Pride" - jeez - they couldn't have picked a less appropriate name for it could they!

A bit like the Mitsubishi Carisma (rally versions aside).

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat May 14, 2005 8:37 pm

i'm wondering if that's where dubenvy got his whitewalls from - an old pride...

*ducks*

top kia comedy moment - Some chav nicking his grannies Pride and going joyriding.... ending up on Police Stop! some years back!!

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Sat May 14, 2005 9:02 pm

Tahrey1043 wrote: 4 door yaris......? you mean.. 4 door hatch.. or, as im dreading, some kind of awful USA-only saloon bodge job?
(to interweave subjects, i saw a saloon version of the more up-to-date mazda 121 in a bournemouth car park.... why did they bother? it looked a mess and you probably couldnt get a full weeks shopping in the boot)

Unfortunately, I mean a genuine 4-door "sedan". Looks hideous in real life.

That is a face-lifted version apparently

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat May 14, 2005 10:49 pm

good god, they're quite demonstrably insane. it looks like something out of a fisher price playset (..gone wrong!). At least the boot is a decent size, but it kind of defeats the entire object of it being a super compact hatch, with a bonnet the size of a postage stamp and a vertical tailgate, by whacking a third box on, making it as long as an avensis.... ruins the looks as well

mind you they were mostly thinking of taking the polo to the yanks as a saloon too. i think they saloonified the 9n, took one look at the result (i've seen it, it's nasty) and thought............... naaah!