All new VW Lavida
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The Lavida is basically a Chinese version of the Jetta. Has been for years.
This all new one is actually called the “Lavida Plus”. Which could mean the old model will stay in production for some time.
I think it actually looks more boring than our Jetta. Also cheaper.
Especially inside. that interior is really pretty bad… Basically a VW interior from 15 years ago.
Which makes the new Jetta interior look futuristic next to it.
They are very close. But not the same. It seems like a waste of money to design these two cars that are so similar.
At least the Passat is the same in the US and China. So is the Atlas.
Why are these two different?
By the way, VW sold over 460 000 units of the “old” Lavida in China last year.
Of course, that is much more than our Jetta with 115 807 of them sold in the US last year.
But that is also more than ANY sedan model sold here. So no matter how boring we think it is, they don’t care. At all.
Looks has very little to do with it – the engine and components, tooling required, local vehicle design regulations, basically all stuff you won't see by comparing bodies and dashboards, are why both these cars exist.
I just don#t get it. At first glance, it looks nearly identical to the Jetta, at second you can tell it shares no exterior part. Yet it is approx. the same size – what#s teh sense of that? The cheaper interior? It's not like the base Jetta has a super luxurious or futuristic interior. Or is this still based of the ancient Golf Mk. IV platform, like half of the Chinese VWs?