Jetta’s next sedan is a WV Sagitar lookalike

Jetta, a Volkswagen car sub-brand for China, has patented a new sedan in the country that looks much like the company’s Sagitar model. It seems to be called “Jetta VA7” and will be joining the company of the Jetta VA3, the marque’s only other model available right now.

According to the media who leaked the images, they were made at the FAW-Volkswagen joint enterprise in China. At least one of the photos has a sign in the background that reads, “Welcome to the Painting East Workshop of Chengdu Branch!” The car has a Jetta badge on the radiator grille and a VA7 badge on the trunk lid, but otherwise looks like the locally produced Volkswagen Sagitar. It’s hardly surprising, since the Sagitar runs largely on the same chassis and tech as the international VW Jetta.

It looks like the design changes really boil down to the grille, the bumper and the badging. Things may get interesting in the drivetrain department, but there are no indications of specific engines in the images. The Sagitar is currently being offered in China with a 1.2-liter turbo engine rated at 115 PS (113 hp / 86 kW) and a larger 1.5-liter mill capable of 160 PS (158 hp / 118 kW).

AutoHome.cn points out that when the Jetta brand introduced its product strategy in China for the next several years, it never mentioned any “VA7”. Instead, the company had planned to release a large number of SUVs and crossovers, some of them electric, and a sedan called the VA5. It is possible that the executives have revised that plan to release a range-topping VA7 model first and follow up with the more affordable VA5.