2009 Gol Revealed (Official Pictures)

[phaeton]

 

[SDNR]

^ well my hopes were never high for this model ....but this thing could very successfully be sold as a cure for insomnia.

 

[Merc1]

Gol? What is it?

M

 

[Zafiro]

Gol? is that the short name for the annoying freak from Lord of the rings? Gollum.

 

[Merc1]

I know damn well it ain't the new "GOLF". VW would go under with the ugly arse mess.

M

 

[SDNR]

VW would go under with the ugly arse mess.

M

LOL ...but no they won't. This will sell like crazy in its market. It is made in Brazil for the local market there.

Still, I wonder why it is so boring. Brazilians are some of the most beautiful people in the world .....why is this Brazilian car so unattractive?

 

[coolraoul]

The Gol is an entry-level VW, designed in Brasil, and sold in South America. Its sales are extremely high. This one must be Mk III or IV.

Not that bad-looking, given the low price. It has a modern shape and is far from ugly.

 

[klier]

Extremely ugly looking again.

 

[GrimReaper]

While it is an OK looking car (for its target market anyways), I think the name is some sort of word play on Goal since Brazil is a very football oriented country.
I could be wrong though.

With the comment above I meant that in developing countries like Brazil and India (if Brazil is anything like India), people generally go for cars more based upon perceived value. That is a VW will still be a "high-end" German brand compared to its rivals from Japan etc. Also, rather than looks, I've seen people go for cars with better fuel economy(which country isn't doing that nowadays) and larger interiors. This is because of the fact that people generally have larger families and a limited income.
The worst offender however, is safety. At least 90% of the population will oversee every safety feature available just so they can get the best fuel efficiency possible. I know cars which are as safe as a bullock cart in even the slowest of accidents. Luckily this is changing as more and more manufacturers are getting insafety standards as standard features and from increasing government regulation!!!

Again, this is my perspective from the Indian market which I think is very close to the Brasilian/South American market.

 

[Sayyaaf]

I think the name is some sort of word play on Goal since Brazil is a very football oriented country.

Or simply an incomplete VW GOLF project and hence the missing "F" in the name ...

 

[Merc1]

You can only imagine the shock and horror when I first (misread) the title of this thread thinking it said the new "Golf". I nearly s___d at my desk!


M

 

[SDNR]

While it is an OK looking car (for its target market anyways), I think the name is some sort of word play on Goal since Brazil is a very football oriented country.
I could be wrong though.

With the comment above I meant that in developing countries like Brazil and India (if Brazil is anything like India), people generally go for cars more based upon perceived value. That is a VW will still be a "high-end" German brand compared to its rivals from Japan etc. Also, rather than looks, I've seen people go for cars with better fuel economy(which country isn't doing that nowadays) and larger interiors. This is because of the fact that people generally have larger families and a limited income.
The worst offender however, is safety. At least 90% of the population will oversee every safety feature available just so they can get the best fuel efficiency possible. I know cars which are as safe as a bullock cart in even the slowest of accidents. Luckily this is changing as more and more manufacturers are getting insafety standards as standard features and from increasing government regulation!!!

Again, this is my perspective from the Indian market which I think is very close to the Brasilian/South American market.

Great post GR

India is a fascinating market ....with a larger middle-class than the entire population of the USA.

I wonder, is one of the reasons cars for these markets are so conservative is because people might be suspicious of very "stylish" products -- like they might be perceived as not practical or over-stated?

Maybe these very utilitarian-styled products are totally reflective of markets that still place great importance on the practicality of the product ....whereas the 'decadent west' places far greater importance on the styling (status and image) of consumer products.

 

[Kowalski]

I suppose none of you chaps ever been to Brazil.

The Gol is the best selling car over there since 1987, plainly then, VW to be careful when designing a new generation of its best-seller. Remember what Ford did to the Taurus? A bold statement not always work. The Astra is now a fine looking car, but still sells less than the more conservative looking Golf and Focus.

Sure, it's not a good looking car nor is it your 5-star EuroNCAP Euro-econobox. But the outgoing Gol (below) wasn't any beauty either, it did not even have air-bags or ABS and yet it sold 5 Million units.

Brazilians only want an affordable and robust car that can cope with their appalling roads due the lack of care from the government. Speaking of which, you almost feel sorry for the Brazilians having to endure a corrupt government that always find a way to create a new tax and kicking the prices sky-high all the time.

The saddest thing is, Brazil is the most overtaxed country in the world. You may dismiss the Gol as a "bland looking, cheap POS" but for the average Brazilian citizen who lives on a wage of $42.000 a year, the Gol is the average Brazilian's pride and joy.