Volkswagen is getting out of the hybrid business in the States, which means that, if you really want a new Jetta Hybrid, you’d better act fast.
In announcing its changes to the 2017 line on Thursday, VW of America quietly revealed it’s dropping the slow-selling and forgotten Jetta Hybrid. This comes a year after it axed the even more-forgotten Touareg Hybrid.
The Jetta Hybrid was introduced at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, a model aimed at North America using a 1.4-liter turbo four mated to a 20-kW electric motor for a combined 170 horsepower through a seven-speed DSG system – unusual for a hybrid. The idea of a turbocharged hybrid didn’t catch on with buyers, however, and was further hampered by a hefty price tag that was thousands more than a Jetta without an electric motor.
Timing of the Jetta Hybrid’s demise, however, comes as VW of America has been prohibited from selling its TDI models since last fall and the company generally lacking much green cred of late due to the emissions scandal.
Other noteworthy changes to VW’s U.S. lineup for 2017 include the previously announced #PinkBeetle with its standard hashtag in the name, new Wolfsburg Editions for the Golf hatchback, Tiguan and Touareg, a new GTI Sport model that incorporates the Performance Package and other features on the base GTI S and 4Motion all-wheel drive now offered on the Golf SportWagen S and the new Golf Alltrack. With that new, larger Tiguan for the U.S. still about a year off, VW hopes it can sway some Subaru shoppers with a new jacked-up wagon and all-wheel drive on its wagons.
In fact, the biggest theme of the changes from VW of America is that it’s trimming the fat to boost popular (and presumably popular) models. GTI 2-doors only come in base S grade, the V6 CC is gone (although a less expensive Passat V6 SE is added) and most models add safety and technology features as standard equipment.
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