- Three 2011 Volkswagen Jetta sedans will be sold for $5,995 on Gilt.com.
- Volkswagen has teamed with Gilt for a 3-day flash sale.
- The VW Jetta sale begins December 15 at 12 noon EST.
NEW YORK — Volkswagen is jumping on the "flash sale" bandwagon, teaming with Gilt.com to offer the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta sedan at $5,995 — $10,000 off the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $15,995. The sale begins December 15.
Of course, there are several catches.
Only three 2011 Jettas will be offered for sale through Gilt, over three consecutive days. On the first day, the sale will only be accessible through mobile applications on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android devices. Finally, you must be a Gilt member to access the sale.
Gilt said VW is the first automotive brand to offer products for sale through its Web site.
VW said each of its three "flash sale" Jettas will be presented in a special Gilt Gold wrap. After the sale, Gilt members who have added the Jetta to their "wait list" will receive an undisclosed incentive offer redeemable at Volkswagen dealers in the U.S.
As part of an emerging trend first popularized in France, Gilt.com is one of several e-commerce Web sites that offer regular "flash sales" of selected products, typically at ultralow prices, for limited periods of time over the Internet. Competitors include TheOutnet.com, HauteLook.com, RueLaLa.com and eBay's FashionVault, and sales often are open to members only.
The Gilt/2011 Volkswagen Jetta sale begins each day at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time.
Inside Line says: Just a hunch, but you probably won't see a "flash sale" on Ferraris or Lamborghinis any time soon. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
tomanyt says:
02:37 PM, 12/14/2010
At $5,995 the very boring 2011 Jetta is still overpriced.
tekd says:
12:28 PM, 12/14/2010
@compressor
There definitely is tax due, otherwise anybody running a sweepstakes could just "sell" all the prizes for $1 and nobody would have to pay taxes on the stuff they win. You can't do that because it's clearly a loophole. Since this basically counts as a sweepstakes (very limited number of sales at a price very much below cost) the difference counts as winnings. In the past, other companies have run similar promotions (like American Express's My Wishlist that often offered cars or motorcycles for very cheap), and of course taxes were due. Sometimes the companies may offer to help pay part or all of your income tax, but they certainly don't have to (American Express' fine print always said that they don't have to but that they might-to their credit they often did cover the income taxes).
Basically, if you didn't charge taxes on something like this then every sweepstakes out there would supposedly be a "sale"
compressor says:
07:24 AM, 12/14/2010
Really people, if you are in the market to buy a new Jetta, this is worth looking into. Even if you are just looking into buying a car, this is worth looking into. Base or not and even with reliability issues, $6K for a NEW car is dirt cheap.
@ Xorbe - there will be no income tax issues as this is the sale price. You don't claim an increase in income when you buy items on sale, do you? Its not a gift from VW, although it may feel like one.
dvsuton12 says:
12:22 AM, 12/14/2010
I think VW's still have a long way to go in the quality department. I have two friends that bought new ones. Both have so many problems, they would never buy another. Not even for $5995.
patrickw says:
11:12 PM, 12/13/2010
I haven't driven one yet, but based on reviews from drivers I trust and with whom I generally concur, I don't think the new Jetta would be worth $6k to me ('course I guess I could just turn it around...).
1124ducks says:
08:36 PM, 12/13/2010
I'll use that $10,000 in one year on required repairs that seem to plague all volkswagens...
xorbe says:
06:06 PM, 12/13/2010
After sales taxes and probably fed/state income taxes on a $10,000 benefit, it's only a mild deal in some locations.
rayzor says:
05:01 PM, 12/13/2010
Real happy alright, after they immediately resell it for $15000 on the open market, baby!
mrlsneed says:
03:48 PM, 12/13/2010
This is clearly promotional stunt but not a bad deal. If you are interested in purchasing a Jetta why not jump at the opportunity. So what if it is the base model, it's $10,000 off on a new car! I'm sure Volkswagen will make three people very happy.
angry_mushroom says:
03:26 PM, 12/13/2010
Meh... too much work to buy one car, and I don't have any smart phones.