Couple of interesting news items on VW. Porsche has bought 20% of VW, possibly to protect VW from a takeover bid.
Although denied by VW, it has been reported in the Spanish press that VW may be looking to offload Seat unless profitibility improves- perhaps to a Chinese manufacturer.
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Well, VW is sinking... albeit slowly.
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I am the only Pole over here.
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It all harks back to this, which is still a threat:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2864453.stm
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Perhaps if they stopped doing utterly daft things like trying to move upmarket - for example, making the Passat a 3 Series competitor - when they have Audi to do that very thing and instead concentrated on the mainstream where they belong, they might sell a few more cars and make a bit more money.
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Its caused by the very real threat that someone wants to take over VW when the current protection expires.
VW is unique. It has very similar models being made in various production lines around europe (and elswhere). It very easy to make ANY VW/SEAT/SKODA model anywhere on any of the lines.
The rumour is a very large US investment group is waiting to pounce on VW and Shut all of its expensive VW production lines (read germany) and produce at the cheaper labour plants.
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Also seen news VW may be shipping some production to its Skoda plants to cut costs- so could be they're thinking on those lines as well.
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VW seems to be offering so many models now - that's before you even include all the close cousins made by its subidiaries. E.g. Golf, Golf Plus, Touran, next Vento (replaces Bora), new Beetle etc. all based on Golf. Maybe they're banking on mopping up business as other manufacturers follow MG Rover into oblivion.
Cheers, SS
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I think the Bora replacement is to be called the Jetta not Vento?
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>>is to be called the Jetta not Vento?>>
Correct, it's reverting back to Jetta. Like the current Bora it will be based very little on the Golf, unlike the MkII and III Jettas.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>>Like the current Bora it will be based very little on the Golf>>
Apart from the boot instead of the hatch, what are the major differences between the Golf and Bora? What is it based on, if not on the Golf IV?
JohnM
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New Jetta already released in the US is basically the same as the mkV Golf, except the boot of course.
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The engines and platforms will be similar or slightly adapted - my Bora and the incoming new model (Jetta) have/will have very few common body parts.
In contrast, my two Jettas (1989 and big bumper 1990 models) had a lot of common Golf body parts.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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"In contrast, my two Jettas (1989 and big bumper 1990 models) had a lot of common Golf body parts."
Thats why they looked like two golfs cut down the middle and joined up then? ;)
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I think that it would be more accurate to say that the Bora and the Jetta are based entirely on the Golf with the exception of a handful of body parts.
In Germany you could have either a Golf estate or a Bora estate - the only difference was the nose and the badge.
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Sorry - got tyhe wrong name - Jetta, not Vento - slip of the memory.
Cheers, SS
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