Following a great deal of speculation, Volkswagen of America has released the first official glimpse of the forthcoming New Mid-size sedan (NMS). The car is very important to VWoA since it will be produced in the company’s all-new production facility in Chattanooga, TN. It’s proposed market introduction is scheduled for late 2011.
At present, there is some speculation about where it will sit in the existing product line-up. The NMS is said to be larger than the current Passat sedan, to appeal to a wider group of US buyers. Thanks to its US production, it will also be cheaper than the Passat. However, it appears that despite VWoA’s appeals, VW AG is insisting it be sold alongside the current Passat. This could cause some confusion in the dealerships since NMS will be larger but cheaper than the Passat.
What’s more, NMS will also be sold alongside the revised Mk6 Jetta, which will arrive in 2010, as wel as the VW CC four-door coupe. Whether VWoA can increase its sales volume sufficiently to justify this range of four sedans remains to be seen. Yet everybody is excited to see how an American-built VW, designed for the US market, will sell in a deflated market.