Volkswagen CEO Explains Why America Still Needs The Jetta

TheVolkswagen Passatisfinished in America. New examples remain on sale at dealerships but production has ended after a decade at the Chattanooga, Tennessee factory. That facility is now in the final stages of a major update in order to build the ID.4 for the US market. It's also working extra hard cranking out the hot-selling Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. VW's two other crossovers, the new Taos and Tiguan, also remain critical to the carmaker's bottom line. The GTI and Golf R are low-volume players but remain important as very desirable performance models.

But what about the compactJettasedan? Does it still have a future?

Speaking toCarBuzzand other media outlets, VW North America CEO Scott Keogh confirmed that "market demand [for the Jetta] remains high and that [VW] wants an entry-level model. Sedans in the A-segment/compact class are still there. We have credibility there and I see the Jetta continuing to be a strong player. It's currently two to three years into its lifecycle and was just updated for the 2022 model year. We'll let the car ride."

Exactly for how long Keogh didn't say, but he made it quite clear the Jetta remains a key part of the automaker's US lineup. Affordability is very important for VW and the Jetta's $20k MSRP is highly attractive for many. The more powerful and extremely fun-to-drive Jetta GLI is also a bargain with its $31k price of entry. "The $20k to $30k is the sweet spot for pricing," Keogh added.