Volkswagen Tires Of Bad News - Issues One Line Press Release To Explain 8.12% Sales Drop In July

When you think of it, VW's entire line is dated (Passat, Jetta, Beetle, CC, Tiguan) or not what the market wants (Golf, Touareg).

You hit it right on the nail: this is not entirely about the cheating scandal but something that has been cooking for a while. Getting inside a Passat is like traveling back in time to 2003

I'm perfectly happy with the styling of my 2014 Passat. What I miss are the options that are available on far too many other vehicles. Adaptive Cruise is a must on my next car, and I really miss the HID headlights my Tiguan had. If VW doesn't get the options and pricing more in line with the competition, I'm likely getting something else when my diesel is returned.

@carsnyc...driving a Passat is like going back to 1998.

YOu forgot to mention that they still are less reliable after 3 years as well as having high cost of repairs.

At least one problem is that they make cars primarily for the European market - and the American market does not favor the same things. Hatchbacks are not bog sellers - nor are station wagons - although that may work to their advantage since they have little competition there. But European cars are smaller - compare the interior size of a Mondeo - with its competition - to see that Ford at least took some American taste into consideration when they went to one world models.

If you figure what they're missing without diesels to sell, that really wasn't bad. I agree that the models need updating, particularly the Tiguan. But since that's in the pipeline for early next year, at least they're working on it. The only thing wrong with the Touareg is the price: it's just a touch too high for the VW nameplate.

What I hope VW never does is change their styling to be more "edgy". Styles like that wear out their welcome too soon, if they were ever welcomed in the first place. Maybe I'm showing my age, but far too many car styles are just ugly to me. I'm looking at you Lexus. Lose the monstrous front end!

The Touareg--even if it were priced sanely--would still be a class trailing design. It's stunningly terrible in a couple of key ways. The CrossBlue--whatever they wind up calling it--should be considered the Touareg's replacement for all intents and purposes in the US market.