Volkswagen confirms new Jetta for Detroit debut

Oct 17, 2017, 3:10am ET

The Jetta GLI will be replaced in early 2019.

The brand-new seventh-generation Volkswagen Jetta will be one of the stars of the 2018 Detroit Auto Show.

Volkswagen of America boss Hinrich Woebcken confirmed plans to introduce the new Jetta in Detroit during a recent interview with enthusiast website VWVortex. He promised the sedan will land with a coupe-like roof line and a design he describes as "strong and emotional." We already know what it will look like; we saw spy shots depicting the car camo-free in August.

Woebcken added the car was developed specifically for the American market.

"We have given the car a North American touch but not always in terms of low cost and less content, but in much more specific needs of the market. The Jetta will be, for me, a symbolic statement that Volkswagen is changing by really allowing to listen to American customers, American dealers, what the market needs," he explained.

The Jetta will finally make the shift to Volkswagen's modular MQB platform. Technical details remain unconfirmed, though earlier rumors point to a 1.6-liter four-cylinder powering base models and a pair of smaller turbocharged fours available on high-end models. Front-wheel drive will continue to come standard.

The manual transmission is dying a slow death, but Volkswagen wants drives to continue giving a shift. The Jetta will be available with a six-speed stick from the get-go. VWVortex also adds the slow-selling Jetta GLI will be replaced about a year after the standard model arrives, meaning we'll likely see it in early 2019.

Additional details about the next-generation Volkswagen Jetta will emerge in the coming weeks. Sales will begin in the first part of next year.