The Volkswagen Lamando AKA Jetta gets some curves – but it’s not quite an Arteon.

Volkswagenis huge in China. When most German car companies laughed at the idea of Chinese vehicle ownership in the 1980s, VW was investing.

That has paid huge dividends and the German company enjoys a strong market presence, in what is arguably the world’s most important market. And strangely, the Chinese remain very committed to sedans.

This means that although South Africans might pine for the Jetta, amidst a sea of crossover and SUV vehicle options, the Chinese get some rather unique variants.

An updated Lamando is the latest of these. This is essentially a Jetta with some Chinese influence styling. The result could best be classed as ‘interesting’, with the gaping lower section grille, and sweeping headlamps.

VW is offering the 2021 Lamando with no less than five different alloy wheel options, for those discerning Chinese customers. Sizes are in the 16- to 18-inch range, with the smaller wheels obviously yielding superior ride quality, thanks to their larger casing tyres, with greater air volume.

As with most contemporary VW products, the Lamando has a full-length reflector, which runs across its rear.

How big is it? According to the Chinese ministry of industry and information technology, the Lamando is 4.78m long and only 1.46m tall. That makes it the same height as a current seventh-generation Jetta, but a touch longer.

Powering the Lamando is a humble version of VW’s 1.4 TSI engine, delivering 110kW. The Jetta has enormous brand equity in China. It was the model which effectively launched VW’s presence there, in the mid-1980s.

Therefore, it is no surprisethat VW continues to leverageJetta’s legacy in China, with unique variants, such as Lamando. And no, they aren’t going to do a Lamando R.

Further Reading

Volkswagen Jetta – powered by GTI

South Africa’s Best-Selling Family Sedans

Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line (2018) Quick Review