Shanghai Volkswagen presents new Passat Lingyu

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Shanghai Volkswagen is presenting its new top of the line model, the Passat Lingyu today. The car has been completely developed in China for the Chinese market and spearheads the Volkswagen Group's model offensive there.

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Over 4000 orders for the car had already been placed with Shanghai Volkswagen before the start of official sales. The design is wholly the work of the SVW Design Center and is rigorously geared to Chinese customers' tastes. A striking feature is the generous use of chrome from the U-shape radiator grille, the boot, and the side windows down to the door knobs. In recent years Volkswagen has invested some 300 million euros in building up its own development capacity in China, thus laying the foundation on which to maintain its robust market position in the future.

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Thanks to its elegant and sporty design the Lingyu is set to redefine the standard in its class. Its launch will allow Volkswagen to meet the rapidly rising demand from private customers in this segment. Shanghai Volkswagen is targeting the new Passat at customers with traditional values who are successful both in business and in their private lives. They care for their families, pursue harmony, respect China´s traditional social value and are eager to be appreciated and respected by their colleagues and peers.

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The new model will be launched as six different variants. Four are equipped with the 1.8T/110 kW engine with the option of manual or automatic gearbox. They will be on offer with the Comfortline or Highline specifications. Two other variants will be available with a 2.8V6/140 kW engine and automatic gearbox in the Highline or Flagship equipment levels.

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The Volkswagen Passat is produced at Shanghai Volkswagen since 2000. Up to now the company sold about 410,000 vehicles of this model in China.

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Also Forbes take on it:
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/11/24/afx2353110.html

Shanghai Volkswagen launches new Passat model in bid to revitalize business

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SHANGHAI (AFX) - Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW) has launched a new Passat model, the Lingyu, which it said has been completely developed in China for the Chinese market and will spearhead the Volkswagen Group's offensive here.

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Over 4,000 orders for the car have already been placed with Shanghai Volkswagen before the start of official sales, it said in a statement.

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The design is wholly the work of the SVW Design Center and has been geared to Chinese customers' tastes, it said.

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The Passat has been produced at Shanghai Volkswagen since 2000. Up to now the company has sold about 410,000 Passat cars in China, it said.

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Kai Gruber, Volkswagen Group China spokesman said the new Passats were priced from 214,800 yuan to 318,000 yuan for the top-of-line 2.9 liter model.

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He said there was no target for sales volumes, although the company was hoping the introduction of the new line would help it raise sales.

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Yang Zhang, director of emerging markets and vehicle forecasting at CSM Worldwide, said that the new models are seen as necessary to help revitalize Shanghai Volkswagen's sales.

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'Shanghai VW needs a new face to compete in this segment,' Zhang said.

'Passat has been launched for five years already, and the Passat B6 will be given to FAW-Volkswagen, not to Shanghai, so they really need to do something by themselves to modify the interior and the exterior,' Zhang said.

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Shanghai Volkswagen is a 50-50 joint venture between Volkswagen AG and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Its other main venture, FAW-VW, is a joint venture with First Automotive Works.

Volkswagen Group China has said it is restructuring its operations to cut costs by 40 pct over the next three years. It has said it will seek better synergies between its main joint ventures

The company has said it will be introducing 10 to 12 new models by 2009.

(1 usd = 8.1 yuan)

So who in China can afford a 26K car when the yearly salary for the average worker is $1300???? Same with Caddilac's, Buick, BMW's, etc. Who are these rich Chinese, besides elite members of the Communist party? I'm betting there is a huge gap between the haves and have not's in China.

Is it just me, or does that look like the previous generation Passat that was just replaced for '06 with a brand new design?

Just looking at pics, it seems that they slapped the new style (ugly) VW front end on the existing, now replaced, Passat.

:think:

Not that I really give a crap, but it looks odd to me.