VW's New CrossPolo at the Essen Motor Show

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http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publi...cle_1610.shtml

Hey VW, how about bringing this to the states to compete against the Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix and the new Dodge Caliber? That would be cool!!!

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Here's a pic...

[CrazyJames]

If it were available in NA, and in the same price range as the Aztek, Saturn Vue, Dodge Caliber..

I'd own one.

[AmyJane]

Nice! I even like the color!

[MATTSBUG]

why are these not available in america?!?!?! grrrr.

[FineExampl]

I think that car would sell well here. It mixes functionality and has much better looks that all the mock-SUVs out there on the road. If i had one i would name it the KiaKiller, but i will never part with my Beetle.

[digitalputty]

Looks too much like a Vibe. However, the pic might not do it justice. ??

[ASurroca]

This looks like a super fun car for the States, and it's a darned shame that Volkswagen doesn't seem to want to bring the Polo because apparently we Americans find it too small. Grr.

[kcfoxie]

Originally Posted by ASurroca

This looks like a super fun car for the States, and it's a darned shame that Volkswagen doesn't seem to want to bring the Polo because apparently we Americans find it too small. Grr.

Yes. What will we get instead? LARGER Jettas, Passats! I really do wish they'd bring a subcompact over, before SMART decides to do it. Speaking of SMART, I saw a Google Video the other day of one being field tested for crash tests. Seems to hold up rather well, for slamming a brick wall at 70.

[Phormula]

The reason is that the most sold engine in the Polo is a 1.4-L 75HP unit, which is too small for US market.

[kcfoxie]

Originally Posted by Phormula

The reason is that the most sold engine in the Polo is a 1.4-L 75HP unit, which is too small for US market.

Regulations, or Consumer Buying Habits ... which is the basis for that?

[Phormula]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

Regulations, or Consumer Buying Habits ... which is the basis for that?

The second one.
For American standards it is too small, underengined and underperforming (0-60 in 14-15 seconds). The average American driver will also feel that the car is unsafe in a collision with a SUV and therefore will prefer a large SUV to be on the safety side.
Last, in a country where gasoline is very cheap (we pay more than 5$ per gallon, here) there is no market for cars that on daily driving run 30-35 mpg on gasoline and 45-50 on Diesel.

[kcfoxie]

ah ha.. thats mindshare, not limitating law. vw could, along with honda or smart, promote smaller, better cars. i, for one, love a slow car. insurance goes up the more hp you have. but, your right, most fear it wont fare in a wreck.

[Phormula]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

ah ha.. thats mindshare, not limitating law. vw could, along with honda or smart, promote smaller, better cars. i, for one, love a slow car. insurance goes up the more hp you have. but, your right, most fear it wont fare in a wreck.

You're right, and this is what is happening here.
Car companies go in the direction of consumers and laws. The high oil price has resulted in a new generation of small diesel engines that allow 50-60 mpg on standard driving while at the same time meeting the latest (Euro 4) emission rules, like the Fiat 1,25 90 Hp Multijet Diesel engine. Today 2 cars out of 3 sold in Italy are Diesel. On the other side our future rules for pedestrian protection are influencing the design of the front part of the car. The front bumper of the new Fiat Punto has been designed with pedestrian protection in mind.
In US consumers want to feel protected and they want to look aggressive towards other drivers. This explains why the new design trend in US cars goes towards aggressive and square front designs and why SUVs are used just to go shopping downtown.

[kcfoxie]

Originally Posted by Phormula

You're right, and this is what is happening here.
Car companies go in the direction of consumers and laws. The high oil price has resulted in a new generation of small diesel engines that allow 50-60 mpg on standard driving while at the same time meeting the latest (Euro 4) emission rules, like the Fiat 1,25 90 Hp Multijet Diesel engine. Today 2 cars out of 3 sold in Italy are Diesel. On the other side our future rules for pedestrian protection are influencing the design of the front part of the car. The front bumper of the new Fiat Punto has been designed with pedestrian protection in mind.
In US consumers want to feel protected and they want to look aggressive towards other drivers. This explains why the new design trend in US cars goes towards aggressive and square front designs and why SUVs are used just to go shopping downtown.

You really make my county seem spoiled, and I know you're not meaning to. I truly envy your country's offerings and considerations of pedestrians -- a term that seems to have gone away as fast as the trolleys that powered them before the era of the car in my country.

[Phormula]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

You really make my county seem spoiled, and I know you're not meaning to.

You're right. I believe in those things there is no "right and wrong", only different perceptions.
Given the fact that it takes 3-4 years to bring a new car from design to industrial production, the generation of cars coming on the market now, has been designed after 9/11 events. This is an event that shocked the whole world and IMHO affected car design as well. If I look at the latest US design I can perceive the desire to make cars communicating a sense of protection for the occupants and aggressivity towards the other drivers. This is clear from the front design, which is more squared and communicates a sense of stiffness and strongness.

In Europe we have narrower spaces and, most important, we have more crowded roads, more downtown and suburban areas where it is easier to share the same spaces with pedestrians, bikers and mopeds. The same people who drive a car might be pedestrians or bikers on the same road a couple of hours later. Or might have childrens that are. Parking places are tight and this calls for smaller vehicles. All this calls for smaller and more "friendly" vehicles. Actually some municipalities are thinking to forbid access to large SUVs to downtown areas and this is creating a lot of discussion.

Being European, when we bought our commuter car (the NB is used only seldom, for daily communting and for all the other daily chores we use a VW Lupo) we took size and fuel economy into consideration in our choice. Maybe if we were in US for the same duties we would had bought a large SUV because in our mind feeling safe and protected was a more important aspect than fuel economy and easiness of parking. There is no "right and wrong", only different perceptions and hence different needs. I would not travel in downtown US with a Daimler-Chrysler "Smart Fortwo". Here I am considering buying one.

[kcfoxie]

You've got an excellent point. Europeans also know what to do when they approach a traffic circle (we North Carolinians are still figuring this one out as our local government has decided that they are the best thing since sliced bread! They are overhauling a 4 lane street into a 2 lane with traffic circles starting this year by the University to give more parking and to make it pedestrian friendly).

[digitalputty]

I love the ForTwo.

I was at a dealership where they had a classic mini and a new mini. I told the dealer that came out to talk to me that he should put them nose to nose ... and, I thought it would create a more interesting display. The dealer told me, "No, we cannot do that. Then, people would realize how small the mini really is." ... Im told all the time that I drive a small car. When I tell them that my 'small car' is one of the largest cars I saw in Italy (when I saw them) they just dont believe me. It is odd.

(& Parking spaces are rather small there - I couldnt park anywhere becuase door dings are inevitable). :P ... I would go back in a heart beat tho. *sigh*

[Phormula]

Here is the last Fortwo I drove.
I was in Germany on a business trip. At that time I made an average of 50 mpg.
It is simply umbeatable as a downtown commuter and for home deliveries. A friend of mine is a technical service engineer for computer networks and he told me that when he has to rush to a customer he can go there quicker because finding a parking spot in front of customer office is a lot easier.

[kcfoxie]

Is it an automatic? I only see two pedals.