Gabe Nelsongnelson@crain.com

olkswagen plans to execute atop-to-bottom overhaul of its

engines over the next two years,part of a plan to boost its best-

selling models before the Golf hatchbackfamily and a barrage of new crossoversarrive in the United States.

From this fall through early 2014, VWwill phase in new, more efficient EA888turbocharged gasoline engines into allthree of its best-selling nameplates — theJetta, Passat and Beetle. VW will run thatprocess again next year, replacing itsstandard TDI diesel engine with a next-generation version called the EA288.

VW hopes this midcycle re-engineer-ing, which will improve fuel economy by2-3 mpg in combined city and highwaydriving with no loss in power, will helpwin over buyers who might otherwisegravitate to Asian brands.

As the German brand continues its

charge toward its U.S. sales goal of800,000 units per year, it will lean mostheavily next year on the Golf. In thespring, VW will launch the redesignedGolf and GTI hatchbacks, followed at theend of the year by a redesigned version ofthe Golf-based Jetta SportWagen. That

car will have an all-wheel-driveoption; VW is thinking of posi-

tioning it as a rival to the Sub-aru Outback.

VW will follow that in 2015or 2016 with a rush of newproducts to beef up itspresence in the crucialcrossover and SUV markets.

The Tiguan compact cross-

over will be redesigned around 2015 tobetter compete in its segment. VW has al-so vowed to introduce a mid-sized SUVfor the U.S. market, likely modeled afterthe CrossBlue concept from the Detroitauto show.

Here are some highlights of VW’s plansfor the 2014-16 model years.

Golf: The seventh-generation Golfhatchback will arrive in the United Statesin spring 2014. The car is up to 200 poundslighter than its predecessor, with in-creased use of high-strength, hot-formed

35 • SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

futureproducts

PA R T 8: V O L K S WA G E N G R O U P What do the terms mean?● Freshen: Minor changes to interior and exterior, such as newgrille, fascia, front and rear lights or seat surfaces.

● Re-engineering: Significant engineering changes, such asrevised powertrain, chassis, suspension, center stack or interior.Often includes some new sheet metal.

● Redesign: New platform, powertrain, interior and sheetmetal. Engine and transmission could be carried over.

● New: A nameplate added to lineup.

Reporter Gabe Nelson covers Volkswagen of America and Audi of Americaand also reports on federal government policy as it affects automakers,suppliers and dealers. Veteran reporter Diana T. Kurylko, center, hascovered European import brands for many years. She spent 10 years inFrankfurt and Brussels covering Europe’s car companies for AutomotiveNews before returning to the United States in 2001. Reporter Amy Wilsonfocuses on retail issues and also covers Porsche. During her 13 years atAutomotive News Wilson also has covered Ford Motor Co. and suppliers.

VW Group goal: Crossover appealGabe Nelson

gnelson@crain.com

he three big brands in the Volkswagen AGstable will all expand their SUV lineups

over the next few years to sustain their re-cent sales surges in the U.S. market.

The Volkswagen brand, which boosted sales 71percent from 2010 to 2012, is cooking up a busi-ness case for a seven-seat SUV to be built either inChattanooga or Mexico. That model could arriveas soon as 2015 or 2016, around the same time asthe scheduled redesign of the Tiguan. VW execu-tives plan to give the compact crossover more car-go space and a smaller price tag to win over U.S.buyers.

Audi has a double-barreled launch calendar for

2014, with the A3 small sedan arriving at the begin-ning of the year and the Q3 compact crossover ar-riving at the end. Both are expected to become keyvolume models for the brand. And within a fewyears, Audi plans to start a major expansion of itsSUV family — all the even-numbered badges fromQ2 to Q8 are still available, as executives like topoint out.

Porsche, which VW Group acquired in 2012, is al-so getting in on the act despite its roadster-heavyheritage. The decade-old Cayenne mid-sized SUV,which was the top-selling Porsche in the UnitedStates last year, will soon get company in the formof the Macan mid-sized crossover, which will beunveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Novem-ber and go on sale in 2014.c

T

VThe redesignedGTI arrives inthe spring.

see VOLKSWAGEN, Page 42

Volkswagen engineoverhaul gets rolling

2013 20152014 20162ND HALF

Porsche

VW

Audi

Bentley

911 GT3 redesign911 Turbo redesign911 Turbo S redesignPanamera freshenPanamera plug-inhybrid debut

Jetta re-engineerPassat re-engineer

RS7 debutSQ5 debut

911 Turbo cabrioletredesign

Macan debut918 Spyder debut

Golf redesignGTI redesignBeetle re-engineer

A3 sedan debut

1ST HALF

911 Targa redesign911 GT3 RS redesign911 GT2 debut?

Golf R redesigne-Golf debutJetta freshenJetta SportWagenredesign

Touareg freshen

A3 sportbackpossible

A3 e-tron debutA8 freshenQ3 debut

2ND HALF

Cayenne freshen

GTD debutPassat freshenTiguan redesign?Mid-sized SUV debut?CC redesign

A4 redesignA6 freshenA7 freshenTT redesignQ7 redesign

Mulsanne convertible?

Cayman variantdebut

1ST HALF 2ND HALF

LAUNCH TIMELINE

High-performanceCayman debut?

Touareg redesign?Phaeton redesign?

A5 redesignA8 redesignQ5 redesign

Crossover debut

911 CarreraGTS?

1ST HALF 2ND HALF

Panameraredesign

960 two-seaterdebut?

Continental GT redesignContinental GTC redesignFlying Spur redesign

Boxster Spyderdebut?

Small sedan debut?

20171ST HALF 2ND HALF

This Cross Coupeconcept may

spawn a variantof the

Tiguan.

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