Aside from its crossover-SUV expansion, Volkswagen has some plans for its overall United States lineup, including the possibility of seeing the Golf R400 and a van in the showroom.
Automotive News reports the automaker is close to making a decision on producing the 395-horsepower concept, which made its debut at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show last April. The move to press forward, however, depends on “good conditions,” per development boss Hans-Jakob Neusser.
As for the van, Volkswagen of America CEO Michael Horn says either the Caddy or next-gen Crafter are likely candidates to take on the likes of the Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster City.
Meanwhile, a few models will be cast into the crusher of history to further VW’s crossover/SUV-heavy strategy, with the Eos — which made up 1 percent of the automaker’s 2014 U.S. sales with 3,411 sold — high on the list.
The new VW Golf, from the base model (now with a 1.8T replacing the venerable 2.5 liter 5 cylinder) to the GTI and R versions, are sleeper Cadillac ATS & CTS slayers.
For 1/3 to 1/12 the price of the ATS & CTS, all versions of the 2015 Golf have better build quality, refinement, interior material quality, ride quality, gauges/instrumentation and even rear seat room than the aforementioned Cadillacs.
Will they be cross-shopped? IDK. They should be given the p!ss-poor reliability & build quality of the ATS, especially.
And anyone who claims they don’t ride as well hasn’t driven them (they ride better).
Now, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is another Cadillac ATS & CTS slayer, and with a MSRP of 38k for a well equipped V6 model (meaning 33k to 34k real world pride), it shames the ATS & CTS in every ma nerd and by a wide margin.
The R400 is a VW lovers dream car. It will eat BMW’s. Not sure the average Cadillac buyer would even think about a VW let alone a GTI based car. But who knows I’ve seen stranger things.
Interestingly, the R400 and the ATS-V are rated the same 0-60 at 3.9 sec. The CTS-V slightly better at 3.7.
you have got to be kidding. The 2012 VW my wife bought against my wishes had had a :
Warranty replace on the tranny
Warranty replace on the ECU + Battery kit
Warranty replace on 2 injectors
Warranty replace on the 1.8t because it $%^&ing seized …
Maintained by the dealership no less.
VW reliability ??? simply awful ..
It got so bad, I started measuring failures that immobilized by GTI in operating hours. 44 hrs MTBF. Only the 23 year old H-53’s I worked on were worse. Even my notorious maintenance hog F-14’s did better. At least VW bought it back.
So which MY2012 VW model did your wife buy against your wishes that came with a 1.8T?
Exactly, there’s no such car. Maybe he meant 2002, or maybe he made it up.
“Will they be cross-shopped?”
lolwut? No.
Genesis might pick up a few CTS intenders, but I think it mostly bags 300 and ES350 types.
You can just imagine the European equivalent of VW/Cadillac cross shoppers: “Honey, I really like the Jaguar, but we haven’t looked at the Skodas yet!”
Did you happen to mean Lex GS vs ES350? Maybe I’m off base but luxury Camcordistas don’t strike me as the kind of folks interested in Chrysler 300, Genesis, or CTS.
While I don’t disagree with the commentary on the Cadillacs, DeadWeight, the mere fact that the Golf is, well, a Golf (read: hatchback) means that it will *never* be cross-shopped.
For reference see the 2006-2013 Audi A3 Sportback sales versus the 2015 Audi A3 sedan sales.
Such hate for the ATS…love mine. Wasn’t even referenced in the article…..perhaps you meant a sleeper against entry level luxury sports sedans like the ATS, 328 and C300 – since the ATS handles better than all…the others should be mentioned. I had an 06 jetta 2.0t – great handling car, I’m sure the GTI/Golf R are even better, but I doubt the ride quality, interior material and build quality are better than the three cars I mentioned. BTW – the Jetta that I loved was in the shop no less than 24 times in my 4 year lease for none regular maintenance issues.
@DeadWeight
With all due respect [eh, who are we kidding….very few respect your opinions on this site :-) ], from what I have seen/felt/observed in riding in the 2015 versions of the Caddy twins I agree the 2015 VW GTI initial quality is equal or better in some areas than either Caddy.
As a prior owner of the 2012 generation of GTI, I’m not ready to go where you did on reliability. The high pressure fuel pump went out on my GTI with less than 50K on it, not to mention several small item issues…VW has a ways to go to match the Japanese or American brands with respect to long term reliability no matter where they build them.
Caddy would be a Mini Van ,although larger that the Ford Mini Van. Crafter was almost identical to the Sprinter with a 2.5 Diesel. MAN Trucks is working on a replacement for the Crafter
Many will assume I’m being sarcastic or exaggerating by asserting that the 2015 Golf is better built, has a more refined ride, better interior, more real life, useable interior space, much better instrumentation, etc., than the ATS or CTS, but I’m not.
It’s truly a premium vehicle in the substantive ways that matter, and in ways neither the ATS nor CTS are.
In a year, one could probably snag a base level Golf, which is very well equipped by the way, for around 18k, and have a much better vehicle than an ATS.
We live in interesting times.
The ways of the Fanboy are strong with this one.
You seriously think Volkswagens are reliable? Every single person I know that has owned a VW regrets it. They spent more time in a garage than they do on the road (new models and old).
They won’t be cross-shopped regardless. No one thinks “That CTS was alright, but what else is there? Volkswagen!”.
Very few people I know who have owned a Volkswagen have regretted it.
The “truth” probably lays somewhere in between our perspectives…and is likely subjective.
With regard to whether the shared platform makes it likely this R will find a US dealership…remember, we still don’t have the Scirocco.
I own three VWs. Love them and plan to buy a new Sportwagen TDI 6spd manual later this year. I’ve owned VWs since 1991.
Thumbs up R400. GTI can keep plaid all to itself. More choice please than GTI’s two shades of black or red or white..
I don’t know how many commercial operators in NA would take the van seriously. Still there’s always the ZIP stand.
Always been a fan of the higher Golf models. Never thought they’d bring an R400 here and we’ll see if they follow through. Thankfully the R400 is AWD and not FWD. I think this would be a blast to own and a surprise to most any other car that wants to play. Last I read it has almost 100hp above the R model and over 330 lb-ft of tourque. Fun, fun, fun.
My brother is DROOLING over the possibility of the R400. His current Golf R with APR Stage I+ already embarrasses Camaros on the track. Its a full 5 seconds fast a lap then my 350Z. And in the wet with AWD… forget about it! The current R is a total sleeper, as nobody thinks of a 4 door Golf as a “sports car” yet the R400 will running times more often associated with “super cars”.
Given what this will cost (I’m guessing the most expensive US VW since we had the Phaeton), and the fact that the Golf R has barely made it here and tested the current ultra-premium hatch market, I can’t really see the point. However, if this is your type of car and budget, and there’s a viable market, I would think a 3- or 5-door RS-3 might be more appealing. If nothing else, I’d want the Audi service experience if I shelled out for an R400.
I like what I read on the RS3, namely the reduced weight from prior models and the improved weight distribution, but unless I’m not up on my news, the RS3 isn’t sold here either. I would think the RS3 is more expensive and I’m pretty sure it’s a little slower. I honestly don’t expect the R400 to make it here, so this may be moot. I personally love this segment, but I’m not shopping in it.
That’s my point. If VAG only brings one super expensive, ultra-premium MQB hatch to the US (big “if”), the RS3 would make more sense to me.
We will get the RS3, but almost 100% certain in sedan form. This would make the R400 Golf room in the lineup by nature of its hatchback design.
I’m not holding my breath for the Crafter or Caddy. Two words…”Chicken Tax.”
Maybe like the original Caddy VW could build it in the US. Or in Puebla Mexico
The Caddy is the most prolific Mini Van here. I suspect VW wants to beat the IVECO, in practicality, but who knows with the new Crafter
I was impressed by the new Jetta my friend had as a rental car loaner. Unfortunately, she couldn’t defrost the windows in our -20 deg C weather no matter how much she ran the air con/opened the windows.
Another odd thing is that my CRV tends to blow scalding hot air into the cabin after the car has warmed up. This, of course, is after I did a cooling/heater core flush on a 200Km western Canada car.
Was that the 2.5 or the 2.slow engine? My wife’s Jetta with the 1.8 warms up surprisingly quick and makes a lot of heat. We get some pretty cold temperatures here in Maine and it hasn’t had any issues. It probably helps though that they engineered the 1.8 to warm up quicker for emissions.
As for the Golf R400, I can’t imagine how many speeding tickets I would get if I had one of those. And a van for VW is kind of a necessity if they want their sales to rebound (along with the 3 row SUV). Sounds like it might be at dealers by about 2025 or so.
That happens sometimes after a car has been washed, especially if they cleaned the interior. You get so much humidity inside (compared to the -20 deg C outside) that it takes forever to clear the windows.
Hot air comes out of the vents, steams-up some of the moisture, and that moisture freezes solid when it hits the hyper-cooled glass. Kind of like a micro-climate.
I am SO TIRED of VW saying they are considering this or that. “Look at this pretty candy we have over here in the R&D and if we jus….NO NEVER! Have this stripped out Jetta instead!”
They normally don’t bring anything good. And when they do, they bring 50 of them, and it costs more than an equivalent BMW. So I’ll pass on this hype.
For the first time, there are two things in our favor (North America):
1. MQB architecture makes it more cost effective for VW to build these niche models;
2. Puebla factory expansion last year was setup to allow manufacture of all MQB product, specifically those with AWD capabilities.
The initial Golf Rs are coming from Germany, but down the road they’ll come from Mexico. I imagine the same will hold for the R400, helping make the business case.
VW was going to take over and rule the world but why do they need so many versions of the Golf? It’s a hatch back… they don’t really sell in North America. I guess it’s the right way, the wrong way and the German way, why bother with market research when you’re always right?
Volkswagen’s mode of product evolution seems to consist of an executive waking up in the morning, wondering aloud to the automotive press about xxxxxxx, and then going to product planning and seeing if it’s feasible, followed by a trip to marketing to see if they want to sell it here. Whatever happened to the GTD that was definitely coming to the US? How about that AWD Golf Sportwagen that was going to make up 50% of all Sportwagen sales? Neither of the van nor the R400 touted by Mr. Horn will ever see our shores.
Can I has new Westfalia Syncro camper w/turbo diesel plz? Kthx.
At least a new one would be able to get out of its own way.
Volkswagen, 2.0 turbo, dual cam phasing, balance shafts, audi valve lift, both direct and port injection, dual clutch transmission, all wheel drive with multiplate in tow, 400hp and 330ft-lbs.
I cant think of a better recipe for a disaster. Be sure to purchase the extended warranty, you will need it.
If VW can drastically improve quality and reliability they’ll have a chance at removing Toyota from the top. If they give Americans another disastrous van like the Routon then forget it…
The Routan was okay but it did not make a compelling argument why a person should buy the VW version when you could buy the Chrysler T&C instead and have just as nice a van. Better dealer support. I rented a T&C a few months ago. Drove it 3 hours each way. Nice minivan/people hauler.