MotorAuthority

VW CEO claims no market for 'world cars'

Posted Fri Mar 14 2008 9:37 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

As car buyers around the world become savvier, carmakers can no longer afford to build a single car for the entire globe. At the two extremes, a customer in a Western country wouldn’t seek the same specifications and features that someone in an emerging market would even though they could be buying the same car. A number of carmakers have realized this and have set about creating new global design centers whose job it is to customize and tailor a single model for different markets.

One of the most active carmakers is Ford, whose new Fiesta hatch is the first of a new generation of global models that will feature unique styling and features for the different markets it’s sold in.

Volkswagen too is wary of the developing trend. Speaking with the Financial Times, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn told reporters that the days of building one car for the whole world were “dead and buried”. To help boost sales, VW is developing unique models for major centers like North America, China and India and is expected to launch 20 new models within the next three years.

“In the coming years, we will make the VW group the world’s most international carmaker. The days of a ‘world car’ are dead and buried. Our customers in China or India expect us, as a global player, to offer entirely different solutions than we do in the US or western Europe,” Winterkorn explained.

Pictured above is VW’s up! concept, whose production version will eventually replace the Lupo as VW’s new entry-level model. Officials presented a number of different versions of the car at recent motor shows, reflecting the trend to develop unique versions of a single model instead of a single world car.

VW Space up! concept

2009 Ford Fiesta

Story Tags:

• Industry
• Volkswagen

Reader Comments

• Fri Mar 14 2008 10:05 AM

  Renton says

  I could care less about a World Car, but I sure wish they would send over some of those efficient Euro designs to the US.

• Fri Mar 14 2008 10:32 AM

  chris says

  what an absolute fool. sure different markets have different tastes but i think japan has proven that good cars can be sold in any market.
  
  looks like were in for another 10 years of even crappier VWs

• Fri Mar 14 2008 12:46 PM

  bambam says

  lol, your both correct. It all comes down to decision and choices.
  which car would you prefer to have from Europe to the U.S?

• Fri Mar 14 2008 10:02 PM

  NaBUru38 says

  I agree with bambam: both views are valid.
  
  Winterkorn is actually doing what he says: the Chinese are said to be getting their own economy car, and the third-gen Gol will be released (¡¡¡at last!!!) for us Latin Americans.

• Fri Mar 14 2008 10:17 PM

  Gus says

  I don't get it.
  Ford would do so well bringing the euro Focus and Mondeo to the US. The market is RIPE for perfect, CHEAP small/medium cars like this right now.

• Tue Mar 18 2008 8:35 PM

  Edward says

  What´s the debate here? In Argentina, all the latest European models are highly sought after from VW to Ferrari.