SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil — Volkswagen's two-decade-plus market leader here, the Gol, is now out in an all-new version called the Novo Gol. From platform to engine, from bodywork design to the interior, everything has been remade from scratch to help VW hold its edge in the marketplace.
The small Gol hatchback has always been cheap, reliable and sturdy — and thus well adapted to the local buyers' needs and mindsets. On the market here since 1980, it has been the undisputed bestselling car in Brazil, but VW lost the overall sales crown to an aggressive marketing push by Fiat in 2002 and has not yet retaken it. Clearly the remake of the Gol is one way VW hopes to move back into 1st place.
The Novo Gol's platform is the PQ24, the same as in the Polo and Fox models. As a result, the engine is now placed transversely, which affects the front-end design, safety features and overall driving feel, all of which have taken a leap forward.
The Novo Gol is available in three versions, all four-doors. The base Gol has 1.0- and 1.6-liter engines, a very moderate trim level, and is priced at the equivalent of U.S. $18,000 to $20,100. This may not seem cheap but meets what the Brazil market is used to paying in the "popular" market segment.
The uplevel model is the Novo Gol Power. Available only with the 1.6-liter engine, it adds cosmetic features such as better headlamp, taillamp and grille treatments, but also includes double reflector headlights, foglights, power steering and back window defogger — a very basic safety device that is not present in all models in Brazil. Optional equipment includes alloy wheels, power doors and windows, and air-conditioning. Airbags and ABS, still considered expensive options here, are available on the Novo Gol Power.
The previous-generation Gol is still on the market in its base form, alongside the Novo Gol hatchback. VW has sold a combined 200,000 units of the two generations of Gol so far in 2008.
Next in VW's quest to dominate in Brazil: the Novo Gol sedan. That model will hit dealerships in October.
What this means to you: Volkswagen strikes where it already knows there's gold. — Rodolpho Siqueira, Correspondent
The small Gol hatchback has always been cheap, reliable and sturdy — and thus well adapted to the local buyers' needs and mindsets. On the market here since 1980, it has been the undisputed bestselling car in Brazil, but VW lost the overall sales crown to an aggressive marketing push by Fiat in 2002 and has not yet retaken it. Clearly the remake of the Gol is one way VW hopes to move back into 1st place.
The Novo Gol's platform is the PQ24, the same as in the Polo and Fox models. As a result, the engine is now placed transversely, which affects the front-end design, safety features and overall driving feel, all of which have taken a leap forward.
The Novo Gol is available in three versions, all four-doors. The base Gol has 1.0- and 1.6-liter engines, a very moderate trim level, and is priced at the equivalent of U.S. $18,000 to $20,100. This may not seem cheap but meets what the Brazil market is used to paying in the "popular" market segment.
The uplevel model is the Novo Gol Power. Available only with the 1.6-liter engine, it adds cosmetic features such as better headlamp, taillamp and grille treatments, but also includes double reflector headlights, foglights, power steering and back window defogger — a very basic safety device that is not present in all models in Brazil. Optional equipment includes alloy wheels, power doors and windows, and air-conditioning. Airbags and ABS, still considered expensive options here, are available on the Novo Gol Power.
The previous-generation Gol is still on the market in its base form, alongside the Novo Gol hatchback. VW has sold a combined 200,000 units of the two generations of Gol so far in 2008.
Next in VW's quest to dominate in Brazil: the Novo Gol sedan. That model will hit dealerships in October.
What this means to you: Volkswagen strikes where it already knows there's gold. — Rodolpho Siqueira, Correspondent
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