In 1984, Volkswagen eliminated the Rabbit from production. America was striving for a different kind of car. 24 years ago, gas was $1.20 a gallon and people wanted larger, more powerful vehicles. Even with the success of the Golf, Volkswagen was losing money due to electrical problems in the Rabbit so it had no choice but to stop the production of the economically conscious vehicle. Now, as we all know, Volkswagen has launched the new line of Rabbit models. The reworked Volkswagen Rabbit (essentially a new Golf) has raving reviews, as people are demanding smaller, economical, socially acceptable cars. However, the 2008 Rabbit must cope with a much different set of challenges than its predecessor.

A new bread of competitors:

The Ford Focus, Suzuki Reno, Nissan Versa, Kia Optima, Saturn Ion, Mazda3, Scion xB, and Volvo C30 are a number of cars within the same range around today that weren’t around in 1984. Since there are so many compact vehicles alike, Volkswagen has positioned itself to appeal to users interested in performance and style. A little pricier than most of its competitors, Volkswagen seems to pull more money from wallets in general. The Rabbit’s starting price is listed at pricy $15,600 for the two-door, and $17,575. But a fully loaded 2 door can be upward of $20,000+, a far cry from its lower priced competitors.

The hefty price tag places the Volkswagen Rabbit more in line to compete with the Volvo C30 1.0. However, there is a large jump in price compared to the C30 2.0 edition (starting $25,700).

Overall, the Volkswagen Rabbit is a mix between style, performance, and luxury to place it among the top of its class. Volkswagen is hoping a new name for it’s once Golf line and a new look will invigorate sales to younger urban consumers.