Photo: Website screenshot
The Volkswagen Golf sedan - or Jetta, as the company likes to call it, in an attempt not to dilute the name of its most successful model - is due for a new generation, and after failing to deliver it this month as was initially planned, the Germans are now confirming it will come early next year.
The new Jetta won't be sold in some of the European markets, a move that might seem strange at first. Usually, a manufacturer takes that decision when a particular model performs poorly, but that hasn't necessarily been the case with the Jetta. What gives, then?
Well, the unofficial version is that they fear a new, better compact sedan would steal sales from the larger and more expensive Passat, which is doing great. But wouldn't that hold water in other markets as well? Yes, except people in North America, for example, but also China, care a lot more about the size of the vehicles they buy, so they're not as likely to ignore Jetta's reduced dimensions. Besides, Europe is known to prefer its hatchbacks, so it won't be that big of a loss.
With a little over a month left until the big unveil, Volkswagen has started teasing the 2019 Jetta through a dark image posted on the company's official Canadian site. The bad news is we don't get to see much of its design - it's actually close to nothing - but the good news is it looks nothing like the leaked images we got back in June.
Well, it's still a Volkswagen sedan so some similarities are bound to remain, but just look at the front grille. The leaked image showed something that looked like the old Passat. The teaser, on the other hand, suggests the front grille has a hexagonal shape that's missing in those images.
It's also missing on any other modern Volkswagen, which would make the Jetta an oddball in the lineup. And yet the sedan has always fallen into that category, except until now it was due to its preference for older design cues.
The teasing campaign (we're assuming other similar releases will follow) doesn't bring any new info on the car, though, which means we're still left to speculate. The 2019 Jetta will have very different engine lineups depending on the market, with Europe still relying on diesels (some people never learn) such as the 1.6 and 2.0 TDI units.
As for North America, the 1.4-liter four-cylinder should stick around, as well as the 2.0-liter. We don't see why VW would continue selling the 1.8-liter turbo, nor do we think it will introduce the 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo there. Anyway, the engines should receive mild power buffs and fuel efficiency improvements.
Volkswagen will more than likely offer an eight-speed DSG on the 2019 Jetta, as opposed to the six-speed tranny available now. The interior will receive the new VW treatment: larger display, cleaner center console - nothing special, nothing wrong.
Well, the unofficial version is that they fear a new, better compact sedan would steal sales from the larger and more expensive Passat, which is doing great. But wouldn't that hold water in other markets as well? Yes, except people in North America, for example, but also China, care a lot more about the size of the vehicles they buy, so they're not as likely to ignore Jetta's reduced dimensions. Besides, Europe is known to prefer its hatchbacks, so it won't be that big of a loss.
With a little over a month left until the big unveil, Volkswagen has started teasing the 2019 Jetta through a dark image posted on the company's official Canadian site. The bad news is we don't get to see much of its design - it's actually close to nothing - but the good news is it looks nothing like the leaked images we got back in June.
Well, it's still a Volkswagen sedan so some similarities are bound to remain, but just look at the front grille. The leaked image showed something that looked like the old Passat. The teaser, on the other hand, suggests the front grille has a hexagonal shape that's missing in those images.
It's also missing on any other modern Volkswagen, which would make the Jetta an oddball in the lineup. And yet the sedan has always fallen into that category, except until now it was due to its preference for older design cues.
The teasing campaign (we're assuming other similar releases will follow) doesn't bring any new info on the car, though, which means we're still left to speculate. The 2019 Jetta will have very different engine lineups depending on the market, with Europe still relying on diesels (some people never learn) such as the 1.6 and 2.0 TDI units.
As for North America, the 1.4-liter four-cylinder should stick around, as well as the 2.0-liter. We don't see why VW would continue selling the 1.8-liter turbo, nor do we think it will introduce the 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo there. Anyway, the engines should receive mild power buffs and fuel efficiency improvements.
Volkswagen will more than likely offer an eight-speed DSG on the 2019 Jetta, as opposed to the six-speed tranny available now. The interior will receive the new VW treatment: larger display, cleaner center console - nothing special, nothing wrong.
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