The NB's sales are miserable as of late. As of the end of November, they are down to a little over 13,000 units sold for 2009. In 2008, VW had sold over 24,000 NB's by this time. When they were first released in 1998, over 80,000 left the showroom. Since then, sales have steadily dropped. Passat, Eos, GTI/Rabbit (Golf), and Toureag sales are also in the toilet. However, sales of Jettas, Tiguans, CC's, and Routans have nearly compensated for these drops.
One must remember that the economy sucks and that nearly all carmakers will see sales drops for 2009. Also, with the exception of a few tweaks in 2006, when sales actually enjoyed a slight increase, the New Beetle is a 12-year-old design. Any car showing this much age will realize tanking sales. We can also thank the Mini Cooper for contributing to the decline. If a completely new, freshened Beetle with a diesel option indeed arrives in a couple of years, sales will climb again.
As for the Microbus, its price point was way too high when compared to other minivans. This in turn lowered the sales projections. If I remember correctly, they were to START at around $35,000, and a nicely-equipped one would have pushed the $50,000 mark. Had prices been set about $10,000 lower, it would have flown. In my humble opinion, this is exactly why the Toureag SUV sales have dropped so miserably. Crappy ratings from Consumer Reports haven't helped, either.
Last edited by Pushing Fifty; 12-08-2009 at 10:50 AM..
|