Volkswagen Discontinues the Jetta in the U.K.

The Volkswagen Jetta hasn’t been redesigned since 2010, and when we tested one last year, it definitely felt like it could use an update. The Jetta is expected to get a full redesign next year, but sales in the U.S. have been on a steady decline since 2011. In the U.K., though, they’re almost nonexistent. As a result, it appears Volkswagen U.K. has decided to stop selling the Jetta.

According to Autocar, a VW spokesman says Jetta sales have stopped because the car has reached the end of its lifecycle. But looking at the sales numbers for the year paints a more troubling picture. While the Golf hatchback reportedly sold 52,722 units in the U.K. through the beginning of last month, the Jetta only sold 379. Not 37,900, just 379. And even though sedans aren’t as popular as they used to be, U.K. customers still bought 5,398 Passats.

As Autocar also points out, the Jetta is no longer available on VW’s German site, suggesting that its cancellation is not exclusive to the U.K. As more consumers switch to SUVs, you have to wonder whether this sort of thing will become more common, especially in Europe. Hatchbacks and crossovers offer so much more practicality than a sedan, and it’s becoming harder to justify buying one for anything other than personal preference.

We’ve reached out to Volkswagen for more information on its plans for the Jetta, as well as whether or not the redesigned version will make a comeback once it goes on sale. We have yet to hear back, but we’ll update this story if we do.

Source: Autocar

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