Volkswagen thinks it's making strides in improving its image with U.S. consumers. And that's important since VW will be opening its first production plant in the U.S. in Chattanooga, Tenn., and has plans to sell 800,000 cars in the U.S. by 2018.
Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a speech at the National Automobile Dealers that VW is making progress. The automaker was ranked 30th out of 36 in overall satisfaction in 2007 when he came to the job. By the next year, VW was 15th. Now it's seventh.
Volkswagen has also moved up on J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Survey and four of its models were top safety picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
A new Jetta is coming this summer, and it will come with a diesel engine option. The Touareg, which already has a diesel option, will also have a hybrid option. And a new midsize sedan, to be made at the Chattanooga plant, comes in 2011, Jacoby said.
