Cars
U.S. new car buyers would seemingly prefer to own a new Volkswagen Golf GTI than the Golf on which it's based. That's no surprise.
• Historical Monthly & Yearly Volkswagen Golf Sales Figures
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf R Driven Review
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf TDI Wolfsburg Driven Review
• All 151 Cars Ranked By June 2014 YTD U.S. Sales
But while Chevrolet Camaro buyers would presumably favour the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 over the Camaro on which it's based, they don't actually make purchases based on that preference. Yet Golf buyers are willing to spend extra on the performance-oriented GTI.
Is this a problem? Surely Volkswagen of America enjoys selling a fair number of the more upmarket car. Surely it's more profitable. But the GTI's relative success serves to highlight the rarity of the conventional Golf. Click the little dropdown menu in the chart below to go back as far as 2009's Golf vs. GTI sales comparison, and you can check out current inventory, as well.
Over the last five and a half years, Volkswagen has sold 81,434 Golfs (and Rabbits) in America, excluding the GTI and higher-performance Golf R and R32. Honda has sold 96,001 Civics in the last three months. If you think that comparison is unfair, remember that the Golf is one of the planet's best-selling cars. It's an unfair comparison... because America.
The Dodge Dart, on the other hand, has been criticized for not attracting more buyers. Yet 83,388 were sold in 2013. As for the Golf's traditionally lofty pricing scheme, remember that expensive cars do sell. Its cousin over at Audi, the A4, has generated 100,069 sales in the last two and a half years.
Auto reviewers don't typically agree with the car buying public's assessment. The Golf is a current member of GCBC's The Good 12.
- 2009 Vw Golf Gti Live From Paris In Red, White And Blue
Volkswagen surprised us today in Paris not with the actual unveiling of the new, sixth-generation Golf GTI but with the revelation of a five-door variant which like the 3door version, will be available in Europe next spring. Other than that, the German...
- 2009 Vw Golf Vi Image Galore: 62 High-res Photos
Instead of sticking to its original plan that was to develop an all-new Golf from ground-up and reveal it to the market in 2010, VW decided to heavily revise the fifth generation model and present it as the new Golf VI (click here for details). The main...
- Let's Not Pretend: Calling It A Golf Doesn't Mean Americans Are Going To Buy Wagons
Here are a few key facts from last week's GCBC post on Jalopnik's Kinja platform. • U.S. sales of the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen declined 27% between 2011 and 2014. • As the Golf SportWagen takes over from the Jetta SportWagen...
- Watch 2015 Volkswagen Golf Gti Video Review - Alex On Autos
Volkswagen Canada delivered a red Golf GTI to our driveway during the last holiday season. It's been more than four months, but rarely has a day gone by that I didn't think that the 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Mk7 GTI, is one of the planet's...
- Gcbc's Most Popular Auto Sales Figures - June 2013
U.S. and Canadian auto sales data for June, and thus the first half of 2013, will be reported by manufacturers on the second and third days of July, respectively. We're expecting signs of rude health in both markets. Can truck sales continue...
Cars
American Car Buyers Favour GTI Over Golf
• Historical Monthly & Yearly Volkswagen Golf Sales Figures
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf R Driven Review
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf TDI Wolfsburg Driven Review
• All 151 Cars Ranked By June 2014 YTD U.S. Sales
But while Chevrolet Camaro buyers would presumably favour the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 over the Camaro on which it's based, they don't actually make purchases based on that preference. Yet Golf buyers are willing to spend extra on the performance-oriented GTI.
Is this a problem? Surely Volkswagen of America enjoys selling a fair number of the more upmarket car. Surely it's more profitable. But the GTI's relative success serves to highlight the rarity of the conventional Golf. Click the little dropdown menu in the chart below to go back as far as 2009's Golf vs. GTI sales comparison, and you can check out current inventory, as well.
Over the last five and a half years, Volkswagen has sold 81,434 Golfs (and Rabbits) in America, excluding the GTI and higher-performance Golf R and R32. Honda has sold 96,001 Civics in the last three months. If you think that comparison is unfair, remember that the Golf is one of the planet's best-selling cars. It's an unfair comparison... because America.
The Dodge Dart, on the other hand, has been criticized for not attracting more buyers. Yet 83,388 were sold in 2013. As for the Golf's traditionally lofty pricing scheme, remember that expensive cars do sell. Its cousin over at Audi, the A4, has generated 100,069 sales in the last two and a half years.
- 2009 Vw Golf Gti Live From Paris In Red, White And Blue
Volkswagen surprised us today in Paris not with the actual unveiling of the new, sixth-generation Golf GTI but with the revelation of a five-door variant which like the 3door version, will be available in Europe next spring. Other than that, the German...
- 2009 Vw Golf Vi Image Galore: 62 High-res Photos
Instead of sticking to its original plan that was to develop an all-new Golf from ground-up and reveal it to the market in 2010, VW decided to heavily revise the fifth generation model and present it as the new Golf VI (click here for details). The main...
- Let's Not Pretend: Calling It A Golf Doesn't Mean Americans Are Going To Buy Wagons
Here are a few key facts from last week's GCBC post on Jalopnik's Kinja platform. • U.S. sales of the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen declined 27% between 2011 and 2014. • As the Golf SportWagen takes over from the Jetta SportWagen...
- Watch 2015 Volkswagen Golf Gti Video Review - Alex On Autos
Volkswagen Canada delivered a red Golf GTI to our driveway during the last holiday season. It's been more than four months, but rarely has a day gone by that I didn't think that the 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Mk7 GTI, is one of the planet's...
- Gcbc's Most Popular Auto Sales Figures - June 2013
U.S. and Canadian auto sales data for June, and thus the first half of 2013, will be reported by manufacturers on the second and third days of July, respectively. We're expecting signs of rude health in both markets. Can truck sales continue...