Launching its most important model into a falling car market, Volkswagen is betting the look and feel of its Golf VI can win over discriminating hatchback buyers, in the absence of revolutionary advances under the hood. Learning from the mistakes that beset the last Golf’s rollout late in 2003, VW expects easier assembly, improved economies of scale and a smooth production ramp-up will help it earn an initial 5% operating margin after the Golf V took over a year to make a profit.
Described by Automotive Magazine as “the barometer of European markets”, the Golf VI’s launch on October 10 could also serve as a leading indicator for demand: rival carmakers are set to roll out their latest hatchbacks over the next 12 months. With forecasters at JD Power already predicting car sales in Western Europe will fall in 2009 to their lowest level in more than a decade — and Volkswagen itself more cautious for next year — the challenge remains daunting.
At the new compact’s media debut in Iceland last week, Volkswagen called the car “the quietest Golf of all time” thanks to extensive acoustic improvements. It pointed to a puristic design and higher-quality materials, which give a greater feeling of comfort and luxury than in the current model.
“In the recent past, the design was overstyled and overdecorated,” said group design boss Walter de Silva, who took over from Murat Gunak about 18 months ago and junked his predecessor’s plans for a completely different look. In the industry’s most competitive segment, the Golf will contend with about 130 rivals, such as this year’s upcoming Renault Megane or the Opel Astra, due in 2009.
An emphasis on horizontal lines returns the Golf’s design to its roots and baroque ornamentation gives way to clear, crisp elegance that will be the face of the brand to come. The latest model remains unmistakably a Golf, and while Volkswagen dramatically altered the underpinnings of the fifth-generation — something more likely to be noticed by a mechanic than a consumer — it has focused this time around on improving the things one can see, hear, touch and feel.
Designers and engineers sought to enrich its ergonomics by dampening sounds and vibrations in the car’s interior wherever possible, to reduce driver fatigue and increase road safety. Modifications were made to better isolate engine noise from the cabin. New door sealings, tyres that roll quieter and three layers of sound-damping film to the windshield were added.
“This sets a higher benchmark for the entire Golf class,” said Martin Winterkorn, chief executive at VW. The Golf saved Volkswagen from collapse when it premiered in 1974 and over 26 million have been delivered to customers since. The world’s third-largest carmaker needs a home-run then if it is to reach a group sales target of 8 million vehicles by 2011.
source:ET
