It's an interesting comment. Some believe that VW will make Scouts a direct to consumer brand, like Tesla, rather than part of the VW dealer (or any) network.
I try to avoid VW brands because of dieselgate - don't want to support them after that.
Maybe they'll run it like Geely/Volvo Auto has been running Polestar? Polestar today is direct to consumer with a handful of showrooms like Tesla, but with a support contract with Volvo Auto dealerships. (My biggest complaint with Polestar is that there aren't yet enough showrooms in the US and I wish I could test drive one at my local Volvo dealership, because would really like to test drive the Polestar 2 and don't want to drive 9-12 hours to do it.)
As for dieselgate, for what it is worth VW seems to be going above and beyond in restitution. They made a larger voluntary factory recall than any of the car manufacturers that have since been caught with minor dieselgate scandals. They've invested more into Electrify America than just the US EPA mandated "fines". They've been seeming to follow through on their promises to aggressively electrify their entire fleet in a very short time window/turnaround. (They claim they will not sell any non-EV starting with the 2025 model year, next year. They seem on track to maybe hit that, with some question marks around some US only models remaining.) It's dumb that it took a scandal like dieselgate to push VW to turning the ship so hard, but they actually might be turning the ship.
I bought VWs & Audis in 3 states and had no issues.
I also had zero problems with any of my cars... including A6s and my last VW product was a VW CC.
But after that, the cars were always out of step with what they were competing with. VW started making "VWs cars for Americans in America", like the Atlas. I bought a Highlander because the Atlas was bigger than I wanted, had less tech (at the beginning, not true at the end).
ID4? I bought a Tesla Y.
I wanted an R as my last ICE vehicle, couldn't get one to save my life, and I tried.
They're #2 globally behind Toyota, but I think they're moving a ton of Tiguans nowadays.
I love my VW CC (2013) when it runs, but geez I've had engine trouble, the faulty suspension that leads to tire cupping drives me nuts, and the VW dealer in my town sucks. I swore off VW a few years ago, but the new VW bus replacement might make me change my mind.
> I wanted an R as my last ICE vehicle, couldn't get one to save my life, and I tried.
Some how I got a 2016 R (manual) on launch; it's my current vehicle, and I cannot bear the idea of parting with it, but I will most likely be selling it to by a EUV.
I had a 2018 Golf R (automatic). Loved it. Unfortunately, my family outgrew it, and I had trade it in for a Tiguan. The Tiguan is..okay. A bit underpowered, but it's slightly larger than other SUVs in this class.
As far as the reputation of VW dealers: they are the same as any other car company. Some are good, some are bad. My dealer is fine.
People often single out particular brands for having poor dealership experiences, but for me, every non-luxury brand dealership experience has been terrible. VW, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai - etc. etc.
The luxury brand dealerships have generally been mountains better, though I'm sure you can find people who've had bad experiences at them too.
The experience in dealerships between brands under the same corporate umbrella are night and day too. For example, say, Toyota vs Lexus.
I bought a new 2011 TDI JettaSportwagen and didn't find the dealer experience any worse or better than my other dealer experiences (2007 Ford, 2017 Chrysler). Dieselgate was a disappointment, but I was thrilled with how they handled it; we had grown out of the car, and they purchased it at a nice price with zero fuss. I would love it if that happened again.
I try to avoid VW brands because of dieselgate - don't want to support them after that.