Starting 2013 right: the dream Volkswagen lineup we can have

With the Philippine car market on an upbeat trajectory, there is one name conspicuous by its absence: arguably the world’s largest carmaker: Volkswagen. The announcement was made some months ago that VW has appointed a new distributor, Ayala Automotive Holdings. Ayala already holds Honda Cars and Isuzu within its deck, and this may be its largest automotive brand yet. Here’s a list of VW models on our wishlist for 2013, together with our guesstimate for their likelihood of actually making it to the showroom:

Golf: the C-segment family hatchback is, historically, VW’s bestselling model, and the world’s second best-selling model. The original was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro as a replacement for the Beetle. The Golf is VW’s bestselling model in its home market of Germany, as a car that is so good that it cuts across economic classes. It’s just as likely that a bank president drive a Golf, as could a schoolteacher. The seventh-generation Golf has just been launched in Europe, perfect timing for a Philippine introduction as well. The most desirable variant is the GTi, sporting a 220hp/350 Nm 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. Probability of introduction: 100%

Polo-As the sweet spot of the Philippine passenger car market has moved to the smaller B-segment, VW would be remiss if it didn’t introduce the Polo to compete with the likes of the Honda Jazz. With chiseled, angular lines, an upmarket interior, and small but powerful engines, the Polo will be a formidable challenger. Thankfully it bears no resemblance to the awful Polo Classic (actually a rebadged Seat) marketed here a decade ago. Probability: 100%

Scirocco-If the Golf and the Polo are the sensible family cars, the Scirocco is their drag-racing cousin. A sporty two-door hatchback that is built for driving enjoyment, the Scirocco features six-speed manuals or a dual-clutch gearbox mated to VW’s famed TSI engines, with both turbocharging and supercharging. Cost has prevented its introduction in major markets such as the USA. Probability: 30%

Tiguan-VW’s conservative styling looks timeless when imposed on this compact crossover. One model of the Tiguan has some rough-road capability thanks to available four-wheel drive, and higher ground clearance; the variant is named the Track & Field. The Tiguan looks most at home in the city, jostling into the very crowded crossover market. Probability: 100%

Touareg-difficulty in spelling and pronunciation aside, the Touareg looks every inch a winner. A roomy SUV with such features as an eight-speed automatic and a range of powerful engines, the Touareg has the potential to be the new must-have vehicle among the country-club set, possibly upstaging its upscale chassis-mates, the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. Probability: 80%

CC-We suggest that VW skip the Passat and introduce instead the “four-door coupe” version, the CC. Designed to compete, styling-wise, with the likes of the Mercedes CLS, the CC features the roominess and ease of ingress-egress of a sedan with the sharply-sloping lines of a coupe. This gives it a fighting chance against the equally-stylized Hyundai Sonata. Probability: 50%

Up!-Normally we’d be suspicious of a car model that included a punctuation mark, but the up! seems like a clever city car. A four-seater with two- and four-door hatchback bodies, the up! uses frugal 1.0-liter three-cylinder engines. With quirky names like Take up!, Move up!, and High up!, and an accolade as the World Car of the Year 2012, VW may just steal the bases from Honda and Toyota, which have yet to introduce their A-segment offerings. Probability: 50%

Beetle-The first-generation New Beetle was an exercise in styling that gained widespread recognition, but little desire particularly from male drivers. The second generation Beetle features a more aggressive raked roofline, and better driving manners to match. Top Gear Singapore editor David Khoo unofficially pronounced it his favorite car among all models available in his home country (supercars excluded). Probability: 75%

With all the diverse offerings now in the Philippine market versus when Ayala introduced Honda with but a single model, the Civic, VW will be challenged to come up with a lineup that attracts both the mainstream buyer and the enthusiast buyer, who influences the rest of the market. VW has a deep bench of cars that can satisfy both. We await its “starting five” (or more) that can hopefully capture the imagination once again of the motoring volks.