Bartek S.
Aerodynamic Ace
With sales in the U.S. continuing to flounder and management scouring the country in search of a location for a new production site, all eyes at Volkswagen are squarely focused on the world’s largest market. VW will need to boost sales in the U.S. if it hopes to rival Toyota in the sales race as promised by CEO Martin Winterkorn, but the carmaker has a number of strategies in place to boost its profile.
One of the biggest initiatives is the production of a local plant, but VW is also developing new models designed specifically for U.S. tastes. Engineers are working on two new sedan models exclusively for the North American market and the recently revealed CC salon is expected to be one of the first VW model in years to be more popular in the U.S. than anywhere else.
Speaking with Automotive News, VW marketing chief Detlef Wittig said 60% of CC sales will be in the U.S. alone and production of the car is expected to top 300,000 units over the next seven years. U.S. models will miss out on a number of luxury items that will debut in European spec model to ensure the car’s price tag remains around the $30,000 mark when it goes on sale in September. The European version will cost €30,300 ($47,400) when it goes on sale this June.
The CC will come standard in the U.S. with a 2.0 TSI engine with 200hp and 207lb-ft of torque, available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Available optionally is the flagship 3.6L FSI, rated at 280hp and 266lb-ft of torque. The 3.6L FSI comes standard with the six-speed Tiptronic transmission. Other markets will feature a base 160hp 1.8L TSI model and two diesel variants developing 140 and 170hp respectively.
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