Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan

The Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan (NMS)^[1] is the preliminary name for a new saloon/sedan of the same size as a Volkswagen Passat and targeted for the mid-size car markets^[2] in China and North America.^[3][1] In the North American market, the vehicle was designed to compete against the dominance of Japanese and Korean imported cars.^[1] The NMS will not be exported to Europe, where a new Passat model is planned.^[1]

In an April 2009 interview with Automotive News, Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, stated that the NMS will be available in Spring 2011, and will have a price tag in the range of $20,000.^[4] He also mentioned that the design of the NMS has been finalised, and is assumed to be based on the leaked sketch that has hit the internet recently.^[5]

Market

The NMS is part of Volkswagen Group's strategy to sell upwards of 800,000 vehicles per year in the North American market, and be more competitive with Toyota and Honda. The vehicle is being developed by Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive and Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and has been variously reported to be based on either the PQ46 platform or the MQB component matrix.^[1][6] The company plans to sell 120,000 NMS vehicles per year.^[7]

It has been reported in the press that the NMS is likely to effectively replace the Volkswagen Passat in the North American market. In addition, the Passat wagon will also be discontinued, as Volkswagen believes the 9 in (229 mm) difference in length between the vehicle and the Jetta SportWagen does not justify having both available in the vehicle lineup.^[8]

Design

Since the announcement of the NMS, details regarding the vehicle have leaked out piece by piece over time. Initially, the vehicle will be fitted with the 2.0 litre diesel^[1][4] and 2.5 5-cylinder and 3.6 VR6 litre petrol^[1][4] engines that can currently be found in the fifth generation Volkswagen Jetta.^[9] Future engines are likely to include the latest EA888,^[1] and the acclaimed 1.4 TSI.^[1] Company officials have announced that by the summer of 2012, the New Midsize Sedan will also be available as a hybrid.^[10]

Volkswagen released a sketch of the NMS in February 2009^[6] and a more detailed, second sketch on 28 October 2009^[11].

Production

The Volkswagen NMS is scheduled to be built at Volkswagen Group of America's new Chattanooga, Tennessee production facility,^[1] alongside a new midsize crossover vehicle to compete against the Toyota Highlander.^[12]

See also

• Volkswagen New Compact Sedan

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} "2011 Volkswagen Jetta / NCS (New Compact Sedan) and NMS (New Mid-Size Sedan) U.S.-Market Sedans - Spied". Car and Driver. December 2008. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/furious_four_doors/2011_volkswagen_jetta_ncs_and_nms_u_s_market_sedans_spied. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
2. ^ "2011 Volkswagen Sedan for U.S. - official info". Car and Driver. October 2008. http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/08q4/2011_volkswagen_sedan_for_u.s.-official_info. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
3. ^ Shanghai Volkswagen Co. Ltd. (18 July 2007). "Volkswagen and SVW partner to develop new sedan". Press release. http://www.csvw.com/csvw/english/xwzx/dzxw/12853.shtml. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "REPORT: New VW mid-size sedan to start at $20,000, arrive in 2012". Automotive News. AutoBlog.com. April 2009. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/27/report-new-vw-mid-size-sedan-to-start-at-20-000-arrive-in-201. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
5. ^ "First sketch emerges of Volkswagen's New Mid-Size Sedan from Tennesee". WRCBtv. AutoBlog.com. 12 February 2009. http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/12/first-sketch-emerges-of-volkswagens-new-mid-size-sedan-from-ten. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
6. ^ ^{a b} "First Sketch of the Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan". PaulTan.org. 13 February 2009. http://paultan.org/archives/2009/02/13/first-sketch-of-the-volkswagen-new-midsize-sedan/. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
7. ^ "VW to add two new sedans in the U.S.". Automotive News. egmCarTech.com. 5 November 2007. http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/11/05/vw-to-add-two-new-sedans-in-us-before-2010/. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
8. ^ "Volkswagen likely to drop the Passat in the United States when new sedan debuts". Autoweek. October 2009. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091019/CARNEWS/910199998. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
9. ^ "FIRST ON 3: Image of Chattanooga VW Car Revealed". WRCB. December 2008. http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9403603. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
10. ^ "VW New Mid-Size Sedan: Coming as Hybrid". GermanCarBlog. 2 December 2009. http://www.germancarblog.com/2009/12/vw-new-mid-size-sedan-coming-as-hybrid.html. Retrieved 2-Dec-09.
11. ^ "PHOTO ADVISORY". Volkswagen of America, Inc.. 28 October 2009. http://media.vw.com/index.php?s=43&item=519. Retrieved 5-Nov-09.
12. ^ "Upcoming Volkswagen models, lineup to get less German". Car and Driver. July 2009. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/vw_audi_central/upcoming_volkswagen_models_lineup_to_get_less_german_car_news. Retrieved 9 September 2009.

External links

• Newscom: Official Volkswagen NMS Sketch
• Volkswagen Canada: Up & Coming Models - NMS
• Volkswagen AG Official Website

Categories: Modern auto stubs | Volkswagen vehicles | 2012 introductions | Upcoming automobiles