2011 Volkswagen Jetta spied nearly undisguised

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta has been spied partially undisguised – hinting that the Jetta will be unveiled soon. The pre-production cars were caught undergoing final shake-down tests in Detroit, Michigan.

The newcomer is baring strong similarity at the New Compact Coupe (NCC) Concept, which was exposed at this year’s Detroit motorshow. Up front, the car's front bumper, headlights and bonnet contours follow the NCC closely, while at the back, the tail-lights are virtually unchanged from the NCC.

Despite the resemblance, the Jetta will remain conservative – blame this on the oh-so popular Toyota Corolla.

Volkswagen is also rumored to be working on a sportier Jetta variant, dubbed ‘Jetta R’. Whether VW will use the sedan bodyshell or a coupe remains unclear. Like the Golf R, the Jetta will make do with a 2.0T, producing 256bhp and 349Nm (258 ft-lb) of torque. European Jetta’s will be powered by a range of petrol engines and a pair of 1.6 TDi and 2.0 TDi diesels – the latter will be available Stateside.

Volkswagen has also confirmed it will offer two different suspension setups on the Jetta. Lower-end models would stick with the tried-and-tested torsion beam rear suspension, while higher end versions would get a multi-link setup like the new Golf's.

The 2011 Jetta will show-up in VW dealerships towards the end of Summer. If the Jetta R is part of the mix, expect it to be on sale by mid-2011. European sales will begin in early 2011.

    2010 Volkswagen New Compact Coupe (NCC) Concept: