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Volkswagen has announced the launch a brand new range of small autos having turbocharged 1.4-liter engines and costs that start at about $13,000. `Small cars like the Polo could be very, very interesting` said Stefan Jacoby, the CEO of Volkswagen Group in America. He`s looking also at a production variant of the rear-drive space up! concept that was introduced in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Other possible units `are attractive lifestyle cars that are a little bit SUV-looking and a little van` he affirmed. Jacoby said Volkswagen research indicates bigger demand in the US for small, fuel-efficient vehicle.
At the Chicago Auto Show, last week, he said he thinks it`s very attractive for Volkswagen to be go into that area. No timetable was discussed.
Jacoby said `I think an entry could be $13,000, $14,000`. Besides the Polo, `I am counting on lifestyle` vehicles. `Look at Mini, what they are doing in terms of pricing. Smart also is not a cheap buy. If you really equip them properly, you are not at $13,000`.
He continued `We are not a cheap make in this market`, adding that the cars will have `value and some emotion` so they `will not start at $9,000 or $10,000`. Volkswagen`s least expensive United States unit is the Rabbit, which begins at $16,130 including the shipping. Its inline five-cylinder engine makes 30 mpg on the highway, 22 mpg in the city.
He also said that when CAFE law will come 2011, there will be small autos with industry trend. This is why this decision to bring smaller turbocharged engines having 1.4-liter displacement.
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