Volkswagen limiting Bluemotion sales to retail only to meet demand in UK
Huge demand in Great Britain for Volkswagen's BlueMotion variants of the Polo and Golf has prompted the company to restrict sales to fleet markets. Requirements for local councils and other agencies to meet efficiency and greenhouse gas standards has prompted many of them to opt for the fuel thrifty Germans. Unfortunately, fleet buyers could have absorbed the entire vehicle allotment for the country. Volkswagen also wants the cars available in dealer showrooms for retail sales as waiting times for the cars across Europe are three times that for conventional VW models. Volkswagen has also limited deliveries to car rental companies like Green Motion and car sharing clubs like Streetcar. The Polo BlueMotion is rated at only 99g/km for CO2 emissions while the larger Golf BlueMotion is under 120g/km.
[Source: BusinessCar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rgseidl 10:13AM (4/21/2008)
Ironic, isn't it? On the one hand, the German auto industry is crying us a river that the EU's target of 120-130gCO2/km fleet average emissions is a backhanded ploy by the French and Italians to exploit an environmental issue to gain a competitive advantage (as if the Germans had never done that).
On the other, VW cannot produce its most frugal models quickly enough to meet both fleet and retail demand. With waiting lists that long, dealers won't be giving deep discounts, so profitability should no longer be an issue. More likely, VW and its supply chain simply cannot adapt the production mix quickly enough to fully exploit this shift in demand.
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pdx 11:13AM (4/21/2008)
Meanwhile, in the U.S. . . .
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Throwback 2:35PM (4/21/2008)
I would love a blue motion Golf/rabbit. With that kind of mileage the additional cost of diesel fuel would make it worthwhile.
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mike baz 4:33PM (4/21/2008)
Ugly truth is that Europeans aren't that interested in selling America cars. The dollar has dropped too much compared to the Euro(from .85 dollars = 1 euro to 1.60 dollars = 1 euro) Maybe the Russians could sell us Ladas instead?
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