Who needs Hybrids? Certainly not Volkswagen....
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 5:04PM Somehow in the last year or so, I got myself onto the Volkswagen of America email list. They send friendly messages from time to time, keeping me updated on things like new Tiguan features, Jetta TDI cup racing series results, how they managed to buy Porsche, and so on.
No offense to the fine marque that is Volkswagen, but I don’t always read their cheery emails. Last week however, I opened the one regarding their October 2009 sales figures. I’m glad I did.
Apparently, Americans like Volkswagen diesels now. A LOT.
In October of 2009, VW of America sold 9,076 Jettas, including both the Sedan and SportWagen. Of those 9,076 Jettas, 3,658 of them were TDI diesels.....40% of the total.
You read that correctly, 40% of the Jettas sold last month were diesels. The Jetta is by far and away VW's best selling model in America, so it’s a significant bellwether. By all forms of measurement, 40% is a stunning number. I haven’t seen diesel numbers like that since the early 80’s, when they enjoyed a brief time in the sun as an economical if clattery and smoky fad.
You see, VW doesn’t do hybrids. They pushed all their chips in with diesel technology a long time ago and they’ve stuck with it. VW is primarily a world car company and while America is an important market, it is not the #1 factor in what vehicles they produce or how they market them. Diesels themselves are hugely popular in the rest of the world, in Europe they comprise more than half of all new vehicle sales. Massively powerful as well as amazingly economical, modern diesel engines are marvels of performance compared to the banging old sloths of yesteryear. Are you still fearing black tailpipe smoke? Don’t worry friend…with the advent of computer controlled combustion and vastly improved emissions technology, modern passenger car diesels are as squeaky clean as today’s advanced gasoline engines. The black smoke really is gone folks.
OK you say, so VW sold a bunch of diesels here last October, big deal. That’s really not going to alter the earth’s orbit or turn the sky a different color. True enough, but it’s certainly worth noting. Hybrid cars are all the rage here in America, in my own personal opinion that has as much to do with the marketing of it all as with the technology. Toyota has done a right thundering business with the Prius and the other hybrids in its stable, and now several other manufacturers have jumped on the hybrid parade float. The common thinking is that hybrids not only represent superb fuel economy, but they also hold the moral high ground so to speak; they are equally attractive to buy for their low emissions as they are for their miserly gas sipping.
Yet, the VW sales figures tell their own story. Jetta sales in total were up 25% in comparison to October 2008, a remarkable feat considering today’s apoplectic car sales environment. So where are those buyers coming from? They can’t all be VW brand loyalists. From the looks of the used car sales lots here in California (Prius country), those buyers could easily have chosen a new or used Toyota Hybrid instead.
A little research reveals that the top 10 mileage vehicles sold in the U.S. for 2010 are hybrids. There is no disputing the relevance hybrids in that area. They get terrific mileage, especially in city driving where the electric motors can take over entirely for emissions free motoring.
However, not everyone is interested in adapting to the hybrid driving experience, as anyone who has driven the funky Prius will attest. VW diesels drive like any other car, sparing consumers from Star Trek type graphical displays and unique driving characteristics.
The last hybrid I personally drove was a 2009 Lexus RX400h, by any measurement a competent SUV in standard form. With the hybrid powertrain, it was a really odd steer. It silently floats away at parking speeds with no engine running at first, then after the engine chimes in all you hear is a persistent groan up front from the CVT managed V-6. Strange stuff this, somewhat alien feeling and about as sporting as a glass of milk. The Prius operates in very much the same manner.
Diesel Jettas and Golfs on the other hand, are the reverse. Here are cars the American driver can immediately identify with. Combine competent German chassis engineering with an engine that has V-8 like grunt low in the rev range, and you get a car you can effortlessly punch through traffic. You can even get them with manual transmissions for crying out loud. Throw in a virtually guaranteed 30+ mpg no matter what kind of driving you do and they present quite a compelling package.
In addition to that, the modern diesel passenger car is less complex mechanically than the electronics-laden hybrid variety. While hybrid powertrains from Toyota have proven to be reliable and capable of 200,000 miles, battery pack replacement is sometimes required due to accident damage…that's $3,000 at the current rate. Plus, other than the dealer or high-quality specialist shops, who is going to reliably wrench on your aging hybrid? Food for thought.
What the recent VW diesel sales figures tell me is that American passenger car buyers are catching on to what full-size truck owners have known for years. Modern diesel engines give big power and sip fuel out of a teacup. There’s a large segment of buyers out there who simply don’t want to go as far as a hybrid, but would love an economical car that can scoot around with authority. Diesels are just that, and it seems VW will be cashing in on it for a while.
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