We speak to Volkswagen Group Singapore's MD about the new Scirocco and more

Volkswagen's popular 2+2 hatchback coupe receives a much-awaited update, with slight refinement to the design, while featuring new technology that makes the car more powerful and efficient than before. We find out more about the new Scirocco as well as some of Volkswagen's upcoming plans from Steffen Schwarz (SS), Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Singapore.

SGCM: First of all, congratulations on the launch of the new Scirocco. So what took so long for the Scirocco to come?

SS: Thank you. Originally, we had a 160bhp Scirocco and we were never looking forward at launching a 122bhp model in the past. At the same time, the new Scirocco was already in the plan. However, the reclassification of the COE category was announced and we had to respecify the Scirocco in a Category A configuration.

SGCM: Is there a reason why the Scirocco is only undergoing a facelift and not brand new?

SS: Actually, I can say that this is not only a facelift. At the moment, there is a lot of work done on the technology and that will also help to sharpen the design of the car. So if you look at the body size of the Scirocco, the front and rear designs and especially the interior, it is entirely different.

SGCM: How many variants of the Scirocco are we expecting for the local market?

SS: We will bring in two variants. The first one is the base model on the stand and as you can see, it already looks very good as an entry-level model. In a few more weeks to come, we will bring the range-topping Scirocco R.

SGCM: Will we see diesel-powered Sciroccos in Singapore? Do you think the local market has an appetite for them?

SS: Unfortunately, we will not have diesel Sciroccos. There is low demand for these cars but I can't say the same for the rest of our models. The response for the latter has been great so far and we are looking forward to more in the future.
SGCM: Who do you think the Scirocco is made for?

SS: I believe that there will be many ladies and young guys who will like the car. There will also be some who have children that have grown up, moved out and starting their own families so they wish to downsize their cars for a sportier one.

SGCM: On a more personal note, which part of the new Scirocco do you like the most?

SS: Well if you look from the front of the car, it looks really good and I really like that part but my favourite is to sit inside the car and to drive it. I remember the first car I had when I first arrived in Singapore was a Scirocco and I really loved it.

SGCM: What can we expect from Volkswagen this year or maybe in 2016?

SS: Let's focus on 2015 for now. We start off the year with the Scirocco and then we will have the Golf Sportsvan. The highlight for this year, though, will be the Passat and the Passat R-Line - which will come in the third quarter of this year and they will make an exciting addition to the Category B lineup in Singapore. Besides these models, we also have one or two unconfirmed models in mind but we are working on that.

SGCM: What do you think about the current motoring situation in Singapore?

SS: Things are definitely looking brighter this year for the industry as compared to last year, but we should not forget about what has happened in the past two years and allow history to repeat itself. What I suggest is for the government to have a talk on how to stabilise and come to a predictable long-term oriented COE supply.

There is a proposal from the car industry and that is to actually use the good years now to cover for the bad years to reach a more stable supply of maybe 66,000 cars per year. This will also result in more predictable income levels for the government and COE prices for the general public. From my point of view, this is one of the biggest challenges for the industry that needs to be addressed now because if we are not doing anything, we will end in the same plight as before.