Volkswagen is planning to launch a new car model after the Lunar New Year holiday, a sales agent for the German auto manufacturer said on Tuesday in Taipei.
Taikoo Motors said Volkswagen is to launch the new model — a third-generation Beetle — in a bid to overcome the effects of the slow season and spur buying interest after the holiday ends on Sunday.
Many consumers have been waiting for the new Beetle for more than a year, the sales agent said, adding that it has already received pre-sale orders for about 50 units so far this year.
Volkswagen is scheduled to deliver about 400 new Beetles next month and consumers are likely to snap them all up, Taikoo Motors (泰谷汽車) said.
The third-generation Beetle has two doors and, compared with earlier models, is “substantially wider, the front hood is longer, the front windshield is shifted further back and has a much steeper incline,” according to Volkswagen
Last year, Volkswagen was the biggest German car vendor in Taiwan, with sales of 13,624 units, a 9 percent annual increase.
It was seventh-largest car vendor in Taiwan overall, with a 3.7 percent market share.
Audi, another German auto manufacturer, is also scheduled to launch a new sports sedan after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The new model, carrying a price tag of nearly NT$5 million (US$168,900), is expected to enhance Audi’s brand image among consumers.
Last year, Audi sold a total of 4,000 cars in Taiwan and has set a goal of 5,000 units for this year.
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