VW Rabbit name being rebranded in North America

This is too big and costly to be called a Rabbit. They should have brought over the Polo instead.

If all VW is doing is calling a Golf a Rabbit, they may be in for nasty deja vue as the Rabbit developed a justified reputation as the worst assembled cars there was (VW closed its USA plant in part because of its shoddy work).
 
Just another sign of how badly VW of USA needs an overhaul.

VW is going to be suprised that just a name change can drop their sales I mean just when the golf finnally looked good they change the name to rabbit if i was Porsche or Audi i'd do some thing about this.

Ugh. My dad had a VW diesel Rabbit. It was anemic, had sloppy handling, smelled really bad, and had a lot of mechanical issues. He since bought a diesel Golf which is a much nicer car.
 
Reviving the Rabbit name is insanity. There are so many negative connotations compared with the newer VW brands.

This is one idea that should have stayed on the drawing board, and not put into production!! The Rabbit does not have a great name, it comunicates cheap, rust, go-cart, "I cant afford a real car." Stick with "Golf", that has a little more respectable name.

I do not have a problem with the name. I just drove the GTI which is too expensive for me, so I am looking forward to driving a MKV Rabbit. Yes, it is a marketing tool. The FAST has been a big success so perhaps that is what lead to this idea. Many of the younger people that this auto will appeal too do not have any memory of the Rabbit. I just asked my 34 year old daughter and she remembered the name and that a friend of mine drove one and that we all had fun riding to the beach in it.

I just bought the new 06 MkV GTI (and considered both a Honda Civic Si and another MINI Cooper S to replace my 02 MINI Cooper S). Each has its merits. There was an excellent write up comparing all 3 in Road&Track magazine. What sold me on the GTI (which was more expensive than either of the other two --no,not the Cooper S JCW tested in R&T ,but a "normal" Cooper S) was the engine's torque, quality of interior, spaciousness,luggage space, technolgy( turbo -no lag and direct injection- a win win power and economy solution) , and overall package. The GTI just jumps off the line without effort and is very quick.The car has been out in Europe for over 1yr and has received rave reviews in Europe and in the USA. I was a litle suspect of V W quality but also had experience with prior VW / Audi products (78 and 81 Scirocco,85 Golf, 98 Audi A4,99 Jetta,01 Audi TT) so I am hoping reliability improves with versions and time. The Civic Si offered great value for the money and Honda quality --but no torque. The MINI Cooper S -well, I loved my 02 and the 06 was better ...but I was really hoping for the Mk II Mini -which is not due until 12/06. The existing 06 Cooper S is also not cheap and if you consider apples to apples with the GTI they are very similar in price. Finally, you can always forgo leather ,auto,sunroof, this&that and get a more basic GTI for around 22-23k. What does all this have to do with Rabbit vs Golf? I believe the "Golf" moniker has a better established reputation vs "Rabbit" as I remember both names used in the US .. Golf is associated with the higher quality, and euro design.. I have better memories of Golf vs Rabbit. Would it have influenced my decision to buy the GTI ? No,not at all. I think the car is that good--what ever they call it. BTW- there is only one name badge on the entire car-- and all it says is GTI --and I guess thats all that matters,eh? K

I think they should have kept the name Golf and called the VW Polo the Rabbit.
 
Either way it's still the same car though, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

My neighbor had a rusty diesel Rabbit also. I guess that's what people remember about the name.

Most people love the rabbit.
 
The Fast is a rabbit and that thing is a bona fide cultural event. A plastic toy selling for $600 on ebay... VW would be dumb not to try to leverage that.
 
Also the Anniversary addition GTI ('02?) had a retro chrome rabbit emblem. Those emblems are now available aftermarket and I've seen more than one of 'em out there.

Yeah, I've seen a lot of people add rabbit logos to their Golfs. Golf just isn't a cool name, even if you know it's named after a wind somewhere. And no more "it's as sporty as actually playing golf" jokes.
 
I'm all for the Rabbit name. It's a move that makes them look desperate, but we already knew they were.

I just saw a red one in a parking lot in Santa Monica yesterday. I was wondering what it was but I was late for the dentist so I didn't stop to check it out.

I saw an old diesel White Rabbit parked outside my condo last night. If I can't get the GTI, a Rabbit is OK for me.

Rabbit is a weird name, they should have just kept it the Golf. Rabbit almost sounds too childish to be a car's name. Golf on the other hand is instantly recognizable, and sounds more elegant.