VW News: Volkswagen Chief Designer Says Interiors Were Not Compromised

[William Maley]

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

May 18, 2012

Despite the large amount of complaints from the automotive media about the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat's interior quality, Volkswagen is standing behind them, stating that interior quality hasn't been compromised.

We didn’t take (cost) out. We just rebalanced where (the money was spent). We moved it from here to there. Whatever was taken out went right back in,” said Jae Min, chief designer-group interior at VW’s Design Center California.

Min credits a new, more flexible architecture and a shift in manufacturing from Germany to VW’s new Chattanooga, TN, plant as to the cost savings.

We're finding it hard to believe Min's comments on that costs were not taken out of the Jetta and Passat's interiors. But there is one thing we can believe, sales have gone up. Jetta sales have shot up 43.9% this year and Passat sales have risen by 80.9%.

Source: Ward's Auto

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[Croc]

Cadillac sales went through the roof after the introduction of the Cimarron, too. Short-term gains and sales goals at the expense of long-term brand equity. Check through my posts; I called it for VW way back then.

[Drew Dowdell]

Passat sales are up 80% because last year you could pick through a few middle optioned wagons on the lot, there were virtually no sedans to be had at all.

Current Jetta sales up over the sales of the Jettarolla? I'm shocked... SHOCKED.

[G. David Felt]

Blah, the VW INTERIORS are the worst out there. They took money out of the inside and spent it on the plant, guess you can say they kept the money in the car by creating a plant instead of a quality interior.

[balthazar]

Cadillac sales went through the roof after the introduction of the Cimarron, too.

Cadillac only gained 26K in volume for '81.

[A Horse With No Name]

Croc, on , said:

Cadillac sales went through the roof after the introduction of the Cimarron, too.

Cadillac only gained 26K in volume for '81.

Don't confuse them with reality, balthy.

Blah, the VW INTERIORS are the worst out there. They took money out of the inside and spent it on the plant, guess you can say they kept the money in the car by creating a plant instead of a quality interior.

Again, quit confusing people with reality.

[Croc]

Yeah, don't try to confuse me with reality.

The total 1981 Cadillac sales were...approximately two hundred twenty-six thousand

Source

Total production for the 1982 Cadillac year was 235,584.

Source

The total sales for the 1983 Cadillac lineup was up nearly twenty-two percent from the previous year. Cadillac dealers reported that over 300,000 Cadillac’s were sold this year.

Source

Also, Cimarron debuted as a MY 1982, not a 1981, Balthazar.

[Intrepidation]

Blah, the VW INTERIORS are the worst out there. They took money out of the inside and spent it on the plant, guess you can say they kept the money in the car by creating a plant instead of a quality interior.

They're hardly the worst out there. Contrary, besides the Jetta and new Passat their interiors are some of the best built and finished in their classes.

However, with regards to the article....

"Volkswagen is standing behind them, stating that interior quality hasn't been compromised."

[balthazar]

CTS debuted as a 2003, in Jan of 2002, my friend.

Cimarron was introduced 05-14-1981.

'80 MY :: 231028

'80 CY :: 203992

'81 MY :: 226427 (including 17602 Cimarrons)

'81 CY :: 259135

'82 MY :: 235584 (including 8366 Cimarrons)

'82 CY :: 246602

'83 was indeed a good year, every series was up, and healthily.

Point is, the Cimarron didn't move enough units to 'skyrocket' Cadillac's numbers by itself. They didn't actually skyrocket in the first 2 years.

Other factors were at play by '83 (or about 2 years after the Cimarron debuted). Even in '83, the Cimarron only sold 2/3rds of the Seville's volume.

It just didn't move the needle.

[riviera74]

Back to VW. Maybe they should build all of their cars in the USA rather than Europe (especially Germany) in order to save real money. Then again, that would require fully privatizing VW for good.

Edited May 20, 2012 by riviera74

[daves87rs]

Maybe it's because one of the cars I drive is a Cavalier, but the new VW's interiors are not bad. Maybe a little boring, but not bad...

[crash900s]

I test drove the Jetta and sure the new interior plastics were not as nice as the last gen but the design is still very pleasing and modern. I found it better quality than the much more expensive Prius, who's interior was shockingly hollow in places. (I do find the Prius interior design modern as well though).

I think it was at least on par with the plastics in the Civic, and CRZ (although I loved the chrome in the CRZ) and better than the TC but maybe not as nice as the soft touch materials in the Cruz, Elantra, or Kizashi. In the 18k to 23k dollar range the Jetta was a solid choice for my money. I really considered it.

[Robert Hall]

One thing I do like about contemporary VW interiors (I've looked closely at the Golf, New New Beetle, and Eos interiors, not so much at the new Passat or Jetta) is they are generally quite cleanly designed, logically laid out w/ solid switchgear and decent materials..I like the fact that they don't have the wierdness or overwrought quality IMO that so many smaller car interiors have (i.e. Fords, Hyundais, Hondas).

Edited May 23, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

I haven't been in anything recent. Last one was about an '03 passat- that one had some really awkward ergonomics, namely the seat adjuster wheel on the inner side of the seat- horrible to work (unless you were sitting in the back seat). Hopefully they dropped that long ago.