With success of the Jetta in the global market, Volkswagen has plans for a second four-door coupe to strengthen its foothold in China and US.
Though the four-door coupe is positioned below the recently unveiled Volkswagen CC, it is likely to join the lineup of the more successful Jetta. According to Autocar, the model internally known as SC (sport coupe) will be built at Volkswagen’s Puebla facility in Mexico, which is also the platform for the newly launched next-gen Beetle.
VW went for the four-door coupe design for the SC, after the ‘not so intense’ response of the NCC (new concept coupe), the two-door version of Jetta at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show.
“Our research suggests there is increasingly a market for a sportier and more stylish version of the Jetta in the mould of the CC only smaller and more affordable. From the feedback we’ve received so far buyers want an individual bodystyle and the practicality of four doors,” a Volkswagen source revealed to the British magazine.
The German auto giant also announced the sales figure of 2011 with 889,945 units of Jetta-based sedan models sold in comparison to 2009 sales figure of 677,793 units, and just the right time to switch to four-door coupe designs.
When launched, the VW SC will go up against the new third-generation Audi A3 that made its debut at 2011 Geneva motor show and the Mercedes-Benz CLC, expecting a debut at 2012 Beijing motor show. Coming from the saloon family of Jetta, the SC features more aggressive styling with notchback style boot. Sharing its platform with the new Audi A3, the SC is the first Jetta based model to have German automaker’s MQB (Modularen Querbau) platform.
Expecting a launch in 2015, the SC will be sold alongside CC, and will house the similar range of turbocharged petrol and common rail engines that are developed in VW facility of Salio, Mexico.