The CC: Volkswagen Fails to Learn from History

Santayana Would not be Impressed by VW's Wanton Flouting of Its Own Recent History
(Image Credits: Microsoft Encarta Online)

To reveal how easy it is to get behind on the American market when one lives in Europe, I was absolutely stunned whilst watching the (resolutely awful) Virginia Tech vs. Miami game yesterday to see ads for the new Volkswagen CC. I'm sure that our astute readership has seen this one coming for a long time. Forgive my retardation on comment, I beseech you. Where oh where do we begin...

First, from the back it looks like VW had a look at the Buick Lucerne and said, "Ja! Das ist the auto that we must build." (Don't even get me started on Buick's new ad campaign; hip-hop from the early-90's? Is Gen-X retiring already?) From the front, it looks like a (earth-shattering surprise here) Passat. In fact, this is no surprise as, when the CC goes in sale in the UK, it will be sold as a trim level of the Passat. So what you in fact have (as the eminent Mr. Clarkson describes) is that the CC is to the Passat what the Mercedes CLS is to the E-class. But why? Are there enough takers for the Passat and a prettier, though fully equivalent, sister? Why not just make a prettier Passat? VW needs to learn from the CSI franchise, and fast; just running the exact same show every night of the week with a different cast and location will work in the short term, but eventually, you dilute the brand.

Second, what's with the name? I respected the fact that Volkswagen still gave its cars names (even if they weren't inspiring or evocative) while the rest of the industry had moved on to alphanumeric soup. Just today I was talking about how "Golf" is a really weird name for a car). Yet, starting with the Touareg, things have started going down hill. Sharan, Touran, Eos, and now... oh, what the heck, what are your two favorite letters? Yes, VW's most iconic and brilliant car is the GTi. Hands down. When I return to the US it's highly likely that that is what I will buy. But, CC? What does it stand for? Cubic centimeter? Curiously Coined? My wife had the best with "Country Club." Would make sense if that's where VW performed its market studies.

Third, and this should be blatantly obvious to students of VW history, VW has tried this before. This is not a new development in Wolfsburg. In fact, it is quite striking that VW could be so brazenly bold in the face of what was an historical chastening at the unyielding and merciless hands of the US car market. None of you will remember the 2004-2006 VW Phaeton and that is because it was the most forgettable car ever made. Ever. I mean, what car has ever been built that has a factory that is more exciting and technologically interesting than the car itself?! It all was one man's party piece: Ferdinand Piech. Mr. Piech is the luminary behind such brilliant VW efforts as the 1-Liter car, the Nardo concept car, and the Bugatti Veyron. Talk about a hit list. How in the world did the puffed-up Passat make this techno-whiz list? It seems that Mr. Piech bristled at the idea of showing up to meetings with the other big German automakers in an Audi when he was chairman of the VW Group (of which Audi is, of course, a part). The goal, then, was to make an aspirational VW that was not an Audi. See Jeremy Clarkson's hilarious, and insightful, review of the Phaeton here. My favorite Phaeton gadget has always been the draft-less HVAC system; runny noses begone!

The problem with the Phaeton is so manifestly inherent to Volkswagen that it lies in the very name of the company. Volkswagen is often translated into English as "the people's car." By nature, a VW cannot be an aspirational automobile. The foundation of the company is transportation for all. So, while VW can dream of having a standout among equals, they simply cannot compete with the badge caché of the likes of BMW, Mercedes, or yes, even Audi. Historical blindness was the bane of the Phaeton; it will prove to be the downfall of the CC, as well.