Volkswagen Korea unveiled the new seventh-generation Jetta at a press show on Thursday as it posted sales of over 10,000 units during the first three quarters of 2020.

The new model comes at a price of around 27 million won ($23,600), while its prestige model is priced at just over 29 million won.

The Jetta, since its birth in 1979, has sold 17.5 million units around the world. Of them, 17,000 have been sold in South Korea.

As for its Korea operation overall, Volkswagen Korea said its sales within the first three quarters amounted to 10,000, making it the fourth-most-sold foreign car brand in the country.

The Korean unit of the German automaker said the success this year despite the pandemic woes were thanks in large part to its bestselling SUV the Tiguan, the new high-end flagship model the Touareg and the carmaker’s flagship sedan the Arteon.

During the event, Managing Director Stefan Krapp vowed to expand the carmaker’s presence in the fourth quarter with plans to focus on sedans such as the new Jetta and the “facelifted” Passat GT. He also added that the company hopes the affordable new Jetta is seen as a “first-car option” by many.

The new Passat GT is scheduled to be released sometime in December with the compact SUV T-Roc and the family-size SUV Teramont coming in the next two years.

The automaker also pledged to roll out its very first fully electric vehicle, the ID.4, by 2022 and branch out into Korea’s EV market.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)