Why isn’t Volkswagen more popular in the U.S.?

Posted by phtphongg@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 630 comments

I’ve been wondering why Volkswagen isn’t more popular in the U.S. compared to other brands. From what I’ve heard, in Europe VW is often seen as kind of like the “Toyota of Europe.” A lot of people say they can be very reliable if you stay on top of maintenance. But in the U.S., I often see them ranked pretty low on reliability lists from places like Consumer Reports and other review sites. So I’m curious why the perception is so different here. Is it because some owners don’t keep up with maintenance as much? Are parts or repairs more expensive in the U.S.? Or is there another reason why VW doesn’t have the same reputation here as it does in Europe? Just trying to understand the gap between the European reputation vs the U.S. reputation. Would love to hear from VW owners or people who’ve worked on them.