2011 Volkswagen Jetta priced $ 16k in US

Volkswagen debuted the new 2011 Jetta at the Times Square New York last week.

Photo: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta priced $16k in US

The Jetta has been around since its launch in 1980 when Volkswagen this sedan based on its Golf platform. It was an instant success, and since its launch till 2005, VW has sold about 6.6 million Jettas.

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta that just launched is described by the company as a car that would deliver style, precision German engineering and freedom from maintenance worries. The price of the 2011 Vollkswagen Jetta is expected to be around $ 16,000.

Photo: 2011 VW Jetta

The German auto giant is eyeing a US market share of 3.5 % to 4% in the coming years. Currently, Volkswagen has 3.1% market share in the US car sales. A spokesperson from Volkswagen speaking at the 2011 Jetta launch said that by 2018, the company plans to triple its annual sales volume to about 800,000 units a year, and that the 2011 Jetta would play an very important role in this transformation.

Interestingly, the price of the 2011 VW Jetta is about $1000 lower than the outgoing Jetta – that would surely attract a lot of buyers. The new Jetta does not share any styling or design with the Golf anymore.

Photo: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is priced $1000 lower than the ourgoing Jetta

The wheelbase of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is now longer by 2.76 inches, while the overall length is up by 3.54 inches. This helps making the interiors and the cabin much roomier. The cabin and the interiors are all freshly done and nothing from the older Jetta is carried over to the new version.

The engine options in US for the 2011 Jetta include a new 103kW/140PS TDI ‘clean diesel’ (BIN 5 emissions standard). The car would get the 77kW/105PS 1.6 diesel engine which is already available in Europe on VW cars. Three petrol engines will be seen on the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta: The entry level 85kW/115PS unit, the 125kW/170PS 2.5-litre unit and 147kW/200PS two-litre TSI are carried over from its engine family lineup.

The 2011 Jetta would sport a manual transmission as standard with an automatic optional while the new TDI and TSI engines will get  six speed twin clutch DSG autos which are renowned for their silky smooth shifts.

In Europe, the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta would be powered by the 1.2TSI (77kW/105 PS), 1.4TSI (118kW/160PS) 1.6TDI (77kW/105PS) and 2.0 TDI (103kW/140PS) units. The European New Jettas would have optional six- or seven speed DSG as option and Manual transmission would be standard .

Volkswagen is also giving the 1.2 TSI and 1.6 TDI with the BlueMotion lower emissions package which including start-stop and battery regeneration system.

While Volkswagen India is tight lipped when they would be launching the New Jetta here in India. We feel that with the extended wheelbase and larger dimensions of the New Jetta VW could very well have a winner here. The competitors here for the Jetta are the Chevrolet Cruze and the Skoda Laura in Diesel along with the Honda Civic (petrol) and the Toyota Altis (petrol)which is soon getting a Diesel option.