German carmaker Volkswagen may not launch the next-generation Jetta in India but will continue producing the current model, possibly till the end of 2017 or early 2018, until the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits run out.
The seventh generation of the executive sedan, which is slated for an international launch in 2017 will be built on VW’s MQB platform but may not be available in Right Hand Drive (RHD), which would completely rule it out for the Indian market. Jetta volumes have been miniscule in RHD markets like India, South Africa and Great Britain where the sedan is a mere 10 percent of Golf sales. Hence, the cost of developing an RHD version of the new Jetta for such small volumes is proving to be too expensive.
In India, the Jetta is already one of the costliest offerings in the executive sedan segment and the next-gen model with its latest tech would be even more expensive. The current Jetta sells a lowly double digits a month and VW’s worry is that a substantial increase in price the all-new model would come with, even if it has the latest tech, would see even fewer customers.
In 2015-16, the Jetta sold 1,940 units while Volkswagen’s sister brand Skoda sold 2,675 units of the Octavia. However, the Toyota Corolla was the highest selling car and by quite a margin with sales of 6,506 units in the same period.