Volkswagen has confirmed that its next-generation models will have five-year life cycles and will receive facelifts after three years on the market.
VW says this is due to market and customer demands, meaning that core models like the VW Golf, Polo and Passat will be replaced after every five years.
“We will reduce the lifecycle of our products to better align with customers’ buying habits. A five-year lifecycle will cut two years off our current lifecycle,” Joerg Sommer, Volkswagen of America’s vice president for marketing and strategy, told Auto Express. The executive also mentioned that future models will have a facelift after three years on the market.
Sommer added that the Germans are investing $7 billion into new products and facilities in the United States from now until 2018. The automaker is currently focusing on rolling out the seventh-generation Golf, which besides standard variants includes the Golf GTI and Golf R performance models, the all-electric e-Golf and the Golf Sports Wagon.
Volkswagen of America is also focusing on introducing more models, particularly in SUV segments. An all-new seven-seat SUV will arrive in 2016 and will be built at VW’s Chattanooga plant, where the US-spec Passat is currently made. Previewed by the CrossBlue Concept of 2013, the SUV will be based on VW’s MQB platform and will sit below the Touareg and Tiguan SUVs. The report says the seven-seat SUV is likely to arrive to Europe as well.
Note: Next-generation VW Polo renderings by Damian Sebastian
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