Missing the targets
6th December 2008
I was thinking more about that VW Scirocco and it inevitably made me think about the car industry in general. I think manufacturers have got their ideas confused. Instead of going with the ‘green’ and ‘eco’ trend, making cheap cars with only 3-cylinder engines that do 0-60 but only just, they should do something that would appeal to every single person with a driving license and even a modicum of pride: They should make cars with a luxurious, expensive and special feel, and sell them fairly cheaply.
Think about it - That VW Scirocco meets the criteria. The top-range GT model is pretty fast and just sitting in it is a nice treat, let alone driving it and owning it. And with the basic model at £18k and the GT model at £20k, it’s actually not that expensive as far as new cars go. A Golf GTi is slightly more expensive at £21k, and that’s considered to be an affordable hot hatch. Also it’s fairly economical - the diesel variants will manage an average of 40mpg (unless you rev the nuts off it of course) and the petrol ones will average around 30-35mpg too. It’s not going to save the planet, but it’s not going to lay waste to your wallet either. So really, it’s got something for everyone, and that’s exactly what car makers should be aiming for.
Let’s put it this way - in the past I would have never, ever considered getting a brand new car from a dealership. I’m easily the type of person who would get a second hand car in a private trade and save tons and tons and tons of cash in doing so. For example, you can pick up a good Mazda RX8 for about £8k onwards in a private trade, whereas a new one at a dealership will set you back about £22k. However, here I am, playing around with the ‘build your own Scirocco‘ part of Volkswagon’s website and generally planning a realistic time when i’ll be able to afford a new one with all the toys I want with it on finance (and with an estimated finance quote of £240 a month, it’s not like i’ll need to win the lottery either!). And it’s not just me - this car is quite a hit. Sales aren’t doing badly considering the economic recession, and general interest in this car is staggeringly high.
So why don’t other manufacturers pick up on this and do the same? Well the problem is, manufacturers have tried doing this for a while now and have failed. Peugeot for example made a terrible ‘GT’ model of their Peugeot 307. The main problem here is that it wasn’t very luxurious, wasn’t fast, and definitely, definitely didn’t have an expensive feel to it. As a result, not many people have bought it. You might think that’s because of the stigma attached to the ‘Peugeot’ name; a reputation for generally being a cheap and cheerful brand. But VW makes semi-expensive cars and they failed miserably with the Golf GT. It was better than the basic Golf, but inferior to the GTi model in every way. And the GTi model is only bought by petrolheads and boy racers (yes, there is a difference between the two groups) because, well, everyone knows that it’s a bit of a boy racer’s dream hatchback. Anything with ‘GTi’ in the name tends to be driven by chavs.
But this time, VW has cracked it. The new Scirocco drives really well, it’s not hugely expensive but feels like it is, and the GT model in particular is very comfortable and luxurious. My stepdad is very fussy when it comes to cars - you could only show off rare or expensive cars to him. His mate Cozzie has an Impreza and my stepdad scoffs at it, calling it a plastic toy. But i’m pretty sure if I showed him the Scirocco, he wouldn’t just like it - he’d want one too. Then i’d have to hate him for eventually buying a car I want!
Probably wouldn’t part-ex his Porsche for one though. Definitely not. =P
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