Eight months after its introduction in China, VW Group’s Jetta brand has sold approximately 81,000 vehicles.
In April 2020 alone, the marque delivered 13,500 cars to customers, which equals roughly 1 percent of the world’s largest automotive market. The brand increased its market share this year as younger, price-conscious customers in China buy cars to avoid public transport following the coronavirus outbreak.
38,000 Jetta vehicles were delivered to customers in China from January through April 2020.
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The Jetta VS7 SUV launched in March on the Chinese market
Following this success, the Volkswagen Group is considering ways to expand the new entry-level marque. According to Autonews Europe, one option on the table is to take Jetta beyond China. “The successful start has of course also sparked interest from other markets in the Volkswagen world,” Jetta president Harald Mueller told reporters this week. He didn’t elaborate on that, though.
Following years of struggles to offer a strong rival to Renault’s Dacia budget brand, Volkswagen seems to be on the right track. The company opted for a two-pronged approach: it established an affordable brand in China named by the Jetta sedan, a popular nameplate in the United States and Europe, leaving sister brand Skoda to focus on India.
China’s entry-level segment is largely dominated by local manufacturers such as Great Wall and Geely, as well as other Asian brands. It makes up about 30 percent of the country’s total market. According to VW, about 80 percent of customers buying an entry-level vehicle are purchasing their first car.
Jetta’s lineup currently includes a sedan (VA3, a.k.a. China’s former VW Jetta) and two SUVs (VS5 and VS7), all built at VW’s joint venture with FAW in Chengdu.
Jetta VA3, formerly known as the Volkswagen Jetta in China, is the entry-level model of the new entry-level brand