Volkswagen Plans Worldwide Onslaught of New Vehicles in 2014.

Ordinarily, we'd dismiss most automaker financial reports. Do you care that the Volkswagen Group is poised to exceed 10 million worldwide sales in 2014? How about that its revenue in 2013 was 197 billion euro? Yeah, we didn't think so.

But then, we reached this paragraph towards the end of the report: "This year and next year, the Volkswagen Group brands will be launching more than 100 new models, successors and product enhancements. This will include such key models as the new Passat, the Audi A4 and Audi Q7, the Porsche Macan and the plug-in hybrid version of the Porsche Cayenne, the new ŠKODA Fabia and ŠKODA Superb, and the SEAT Ibiza." Forgetting that Seat and Skoda aren't sold in the U.S., the rest of the paragraph shows plenty of promise.

Volkswagen is a huge company with a presence all over the world. We've already gotten to sit in the 2015 Porsche Macan at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year and loved it. But news of a new Volkswagen Passat, Audi A4, and Audi Q7 all pique our interest, in addition to the plug-in Cayenne. The Passat overseas is different than the U.S. Passat, as it's based on a model that went on sale in 2005 in the U.S. The next European model may share components with the American VW Passat, which went on sale in the U.S. as a 2012 model.

It is also expected that some sort of electrification will likely find its way to the U.S. Passat. In addition, the Audi A4 and Q7 are hotly anticipated products, especially with the announcement that Audi has overtaken BMW for worldwide sales. The next A4 will face the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class and a tight pack of other entry-level sedans when it goes on sale.

The Q7 should follow-up the wildly popular first-generation model, a vehicle that was originally conceived by former Audi U.S. exec and current Infinti CEO Johan de Nysschen when he worked for the company. We expect that much of the rest of the Volkswagen/Porsche/Audi lineup will improve in 2014, as is customary with any competitive automaker. Whether just adding laser headlights or going for a full-blown redo, we imagine VW is preparing an assault on the U.S. market and beyond in order to gain leadership where it can.

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