HERNDON, Virginia — Volkswagen is once again abandoning the Rabbit nameplate in favor of the Golf. The 2010 Volkswagen Golf and GTI will be making U.S. debuts at the 2009 New York Auto Show.
"Volkswagen globally has moved to a global naming strategy," VW spokesman Tom Wegehaupt told Inside Line on Thursday. "We are changing Rabbit back to Golf, just as we changed Bora in Europe to Jetta this year."
Wegehaupt said the name switch was not given the green light by U.S. consumers. "We did not test market this with U.S. consumers," he said. "It was a high-level executive decision."
When asked if he thought it would cause confusion for consumers, he said no. "The Golf nameplate has been here from 1984 to 2006. Just the fifth generation [model] went back to the Rabbit. The Golf nameplate has a lot of weight. It is one of the world's bestselling cars — 26 million in five generations in 120 countries."
VW revived the Rabbit name for the 2006 model year to increase sales of its entry-level model. It first launched the Rabbit in 1975 and used the moniker until adopting the Golf name for the redesign in 1984. When the name was revived in 2006, Volkswagen's director of brand innovation in the U.S. said it would resonate with enthusiasts.
"The reintroduction of the Rabbit represents Volkswagen's commitment to this market and is a nod to the passionate North American enthusiasts who have an emotional connection with the Rabbit name," said Kerri Martin.
Wegehaupt also confirmed that VW will add a diesel engine to the 2010 Golf lineup in the U.S. The engine, a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-4, is also used in the Volkswagen Jetta. The diesel will be available this fall, he said.
