The often-mentioned Volkswagen Jetta CKD plans have been confirmed by DRB-Hicom, Volkswagen Group Malaysia’s local-assembly partner. Joining the CKD Passat and Polo Sedan models, the Golf Mk6-based C-segment sedan will roll off DRB-Hicom’s automotive complex in Pekan sometime this year.
Earlier this month, a covered-up Volkswagen Jetta was spotted at JPJ Putrajaya, suggesting that the CKD model’s introduction here could happen sooner rather than later. Little else is known of the incoming locally-assembled Jetta, but like the CKD Passat, it’s likely to be identical to the current CBU model.
Essentially a sedan version of the previous-generation Golf, the Jetta competes with cars such as the Ford Focus, Kia Cerato, Honda Civic, and the new 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis. Its 1.4 litre TSI engine produces 160 PS at 5,800 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm, and is paired to a seven-speed dry-clutch DSG gearbox.
Post Volkswagen’s recent range-wide price hikes, the fully-imported Jetta (pictured here) is on sale for RM151,888 (without insurance). It’s bound to drop when CKD operations start. By how much? We’ll just have to wait to find out. For now, you can read our CBU Volkswagen Jetta test drive review to decide if it’s worth waiting for.
Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI (CBU)
I do welcome the idea about CKD Jetta as long as they offer the same specs as CBU and bring it down to reasonable price. The only worried is the reliability of current engine 1.4 TSI.
Personally, I own a Passat B7 and I think it’s a great car. So far I have not faced any serious issue after owning the car for 1 year and I really hope it stays that way. Most of the reliability issue did happened specifically to 1.4 TSI and hopefully they can do something about it!
My guess is the Jetta CKD will be watered down a lot, engine might be a NA 1.8/2.0 VW unit paired with ^-speed torque converter. Safety would be 6 airbags standard with VSC for top of the range. Toys like Cruise Control, Dual Zone Climate control, leather seat and keyless entry would be stripped. Price might be around 135K starting price all the way to 145K.
plz read the malaysian spec 1st before coment
where to read the m’sian spec? ur uncle is in drb-hicom ah?
i don’t think it will be watered down that much. common with car competitors, they do benchmarking with the contenders in that same segment. the altis, civic, focus, mazda 3, sylphy all carries NA engines and torque converters with the only exception being the focus which runs on a dual clutch. my bet will be VW will bring the jetta ckd with NA and regular torque converter, then keep all the same safety features as the cbu. by doing that, the price will come down to a comfortable 120+/130 which doesn’t lose out to the contenders in term of spec but hits the same price range.
look at what the did with the polo sedan. exactly the same concept.
Thanks auntie will inform my grandma about this…
I’m sure your mom is going like it too. Jetta has already been around for more than 3+ years. It’ll be soon to be phase out. But we still CKD it, lol
it was launched in malaysia late 2011.. so technically, its only been around for 2 years +.. with a product lifespan of 5 years on avg for vw.. its still a very relevant model for them in malaysia, and the next logical step is definitely to CKD it.
You sound scared man.. Haha.. Wait till your warranty due.. Good luck to you man.. Haha.. I own Vios almost 8 years.. Myvi 6 years.. Guess what? No gear problems.. Haha..
To be frank to you, I feel worried about my Passat of course. I don’t know is there any owner out there who are not worried about reliability issue? :)
So far so good, that’s all I can say… Will wait for 2014 CLA/C-Class (perhaps GLA) to decide if I’m keeping this or trade-in for either one of the merc.
Don’t get me wrong. VW is still a good car to drive, but I do not want to experience like what happen to the unfortunate owner especially the car break down under the hot sun!
Ok Ann.. Good luck to you.. I wish your car will be ok.. I understand your passion.. I too ve personal interest on VW as last time my Dad used to drive the Beetle.. & I was eying on Beetle 1.4TSI… But reading the owners comments in VW fb freak me out. Better you don’t read them. & may be you are a lucky VW owner.. The fact is the parts are expensive.. Just drive carefully.
I love the beetle so much but had to settle down with Merc A 250. If the DSG problems are remedied, I for sure will get the beetle. Is this wishful thinking. Is VW reallly looking into this?
No extra money and cannot pay for maintenance. Stick to national car la..
people buy cars for all kinds of reasons.. some want reliability, others want a whole lot of other stuff. try telling alfa romeo fans their car is unreliable.. they know, and they don’t care.. they choose their passion over reliability. to each its own.
Vios and Myvi and want to compare to VW Jetta ? Its just like comparing bicycle to motor cycle.
If CBU already can have so many DSG problems and breakdowns, what more if it is CKD. VW Malaysia cannot run away from the problem. Even 2014 also, service centre is full of DSG problems and breakdowns.
Actually any DSG cannot be sold in Malaysia because VW AG in Germany already confess in Black and White that ALL their DSG boxes whether it is 2013 or 2014 cannot handle Asian hot weather or Asian traffic jams and is prone to continuous breakdowns.
VW fans will come now and say all this bluff. If all bluff, how come VW Malaysia facebook got non stop complaints about the DSG?
VW fans will also say the comments are from Honda or Peugeot owners. Well, each comment come from facebook accounts with more than 200 friends each and definitely not created fakely.
Hi KZM, i am not a VW owner, but i took time off to investigate this issue. Actually in Malaysia, several cars did go back to the workshop to have their DSG software updated. However,as of yet, there are no instances of any VW car breaking down due to DSG. I not only checked with VW and their dealers but relevant car service companies. Actually I was told to do this as i work for an insurance company that wanted to investigate the truth behind this matter. So here’s my story about the DSG saga, from an Insurance company perspective and no bias.
Peugeot salesmen are actually complaining as the car company was the number 1 selling European make until 2011. After that VW outsold Peugeot till now. In fact Peugeot fell to no 4 position now after VW, BMW and Merc. Quite bad for Peugeot salesmen.
because germany never got summer one right?
RIGHT?
thanks to people like kzm, the issue continues to get blown up.
kzm must be riding a camel here in Malaysia
Ms Ann, claiming the issue is isolated to 1.4TSIs is bollocks. The DSG issue in China affects all DQ200 dry clutch which your good Passat is equally equipped with.
So problematic, gearbox, engine are the most expensive component. if fails after warranty will surely fail your wallet.
So now they are trying to have CKD for something that VW is finding it complex to build and maintain?
like i predict, it’ll be NA and torque converter.
That wat im waiting for.. CKD for VW. How can toyota n honda to survive
139K to match the pricing of the greedy UMW Toyota Altis???
[VOLKSWAGEN]
now this word has became as scary as Proton.
makes me shiver whenever i hear this word.
I guess you have a rich uncle you will inherit from, driving a VW or Proton?
Then the chance is very high that he will survive an accident and I can imagine that the thought that he will live on for many years is scary for you… :D
I never really found reasons to justify the Jetta in Malaysia and for three reason;
Firstly The looks which makes most Toyota look exciting, and this can be pointed to the interior espacially, it looks so…dread(-Opinions may differ-).
Secondly The price, at RM150k it makes UMWs offering sounds nice and is not what you call spec to the brink, Now that the new Corolla is launch, the only advantage you want the Jetta is knowing that it is imported from Europe, you get an observationaal selection bias on the quality of the car.
Thirdly, its stablemate, the Golf Mk VII, which I personlly believe excels over this in every department.
Until the price issue can be brought down and some toys(navigation?) can be added in, it remains just that….a good car. But hey, its a volkSWAGen
I can’t agree more, VW owners please no offence, but no one in my family ever considered a VW after our first trip to the place because the interior of the cars…makes proton look not so bad after all. Its all monotone grey without imagination.
You want colourful Disneyland or Madras movies?
agree with you. a RM150k car with no option for leather seats… either you’re a big fan of VW or never look into specs and compare other cars when making a purchase.
it doesnt have leather seats.. but its got more safety and driving features than most japanese cars have leather seats. you better check the specs again…
U were absolutely right. Its VW but not Playstation
Yes it may not look that tempting in our eyes compared to toyotas, but please test drive them and compare. The driving experience is different.
VW owners bashing in 1,2,3… Leave to you all..
Hopefully the CKD Jetta is in line with the facelifted version introduced for 2014 for the Asian market, which incorporates LED daytime lights and enhanced infotainment system. The current Jetta is bit dull-looking compared to the latest C-segment offerings from Korea and Japan.
We got a CBU Jetta early last year (it was a 2012 model and we only paid RM135K for it)…the performance of this car is awesome for that price…great acceleration (0-100kmh in 8.3secs) and supremely comfortable suspension for those long hauls on Plus highways. This is definitely a family car with the expansive rear legroom and gargantuan boot. So I would recommend the CKD to anyone provided VW does not replace the glorious twincharge 1.4TSI and the silky smooth super fast DSG gearbox. I was totally aware of all the reliability concerns voiced by all but we have not seen any issues so far having clocked 25K km till now. We don’t plan on keeping the car beyond 5 years though…
You should only shiver if you are not an owner. If you are, it is the best thing since sliced cheese. Very reliable and great to dirve
Actually in the states, I think their Passat has the TSI 2.0 but instead of DSG they get a normal auto.
Maybe VW can consider it for our CKD Jetta? I think a lot of us won’t mind since the normal auto is easier to maintain. And also cheaper to produce. Plus newer autos are smooth and also almost as fast as DSG.
lets wait what ‘ box will CKD model offer. if its DSG then good news to current owners as VW still have high confidence on DSG and will continue to serve after sales service on future gearbox issues.
but if auto box, then current owners should start shiver n tremble, (maybe demam a few days)… they should even start sell their car…. oh wait, CBU owners need to fork extra money just to sell their car since CKD is already released…
True la. If 1.4TSI with 6 speed auto torque converter, then it would be a bit tough for the CBU buyers la.
Well, maybe DRB is going to CKD this Jetta with one Campro engine and install the Honda’s IMA and mated to Polo’s 6-speeder and launched in every available showrooms (VW, Honda, Suzuki, Proton etc) with the price tag of RM80,000. All the other sushi’s and kimchi’s salesman can “tabao” already lol
hope the price will come down.. but dual clutch.. hmmm..
RM98K please.i really like this car :P
If RM98K for this VW, how many units can our Suprimyarse+bodykit RM88K sell in a year?
minimum 2 per year :p
why don’t you ask for RM9.80? be realistic. do you think VW is that stupid to lower down to RM98k so that u can buy it? and at the same time burn the bridges with all their existing cbu owners?
it’s lucky u don’t run a car company.
…ThreeTwentyDee
…agreed with you ..I own Jetta since 2012..every day stuck in KL-Sban traffic jam..I have not seen any issues.. so far having clocked 60,000km..excellent handling and power..
I am not surprised really..we also own a E90 BMW 320D which hardly gets used nowadays as the family prefers the comfort and spaciousness of the Jetta…BMW has a thing or two to learn from VW (cost us half the amount for the BMW). Guess BMW did as the F30 3 series is much more comfortable now but I am still not buying one..
Be prepared to send in your car to service center for 6 months.
johny little boy, do you own a jetta?
Johnny boy could be the DSG’s supplier
Personally, the plan for CKD Jetta is very much welcome. This give more choice for the people to choose a car especially VW.
How bout the CKD Golf GTi sounds?
it must be good
fantastic!
I own first batch GOLF mk6 in 2010. The engine was great no issue at all.
I only experience 2 times recall due to DSG, also the service center is very busy any appointment need 2 weeks before.
Need to add more service center, currently not enough in Klang valley.
CKD price.. i guess rm139,999
Good one. I’ll bet it for 135K on the road
Own 1st batch jetta, milage 70k, went to workshop once, cause battery dead, replace free under warranty.. I travel frm kl to sg, very frequent.. Driving 160-180 is effortless..so far so good. drove my wife bmw e90 320 at 160-180 to sg was super tiring cause less torque, slow gearbox, slow pickup, aircond compersor dead at 65k milage, brake sensor dead at 70k.. Led signal spoil at 5k.. Car bought new frm auto bavaria.
…yang suka kutuk VW DSG bla..bla…you’re nonsense..either can’t afford to buy or what..!!exaggerate the story ..
dulu aku nak beli golf tsi pun takut..sekarang aku dah pakai golf 7 mths ..ok je pg Seremban- Putrajaya hari2.. kalau tak percaya datang tengok kat Kementerian Sumber Asli ..there are more than a dozen VW’s car there.. none of them have DSG issue … pirahhh
belum cuba belum tahu, sekali cuba, hari hari mahu.
ur bini hari hari mau ka?
You guys that said VWs are okay just havent seen the real truth yet I used to have a golf VI gave me lots of problems and I always have to leave it in the service centre for weeks! By the time I sold it the mileage only clocked 60k kms…better becareful, the dsg dry clutch (wet is better) is really prone to suddenly spoil, and doesnt shift…Now happy with Focus, altho the shift is not as fast(and less torque, but higher hp), but its still better than usual CVTs and TCs…better handling too, just that the interior a bit plasticky…oh and it shudders if you dont accelerate enough