Yeah, why build a new Bus/Van... VW kills the successor

[Lanval]

Saw this today, while avoiding dissertation reading. One wonders about the "don't add up" bit. If a 1984 Westy is selling for $14K, and a GoWesty for $80K, how do they figure there isn't a market?

Worked for the bug, didn't it

Silly VW, Chryslers are for, well, Chrysler.

Here's the link:

http://blogs.automotive.com/6227669/opinion/volksw...index.html

[nathan@el]

Good god, A rebadged Dodge Caravan won out over this? Hmmm, lets take a boring, uninspiring, unreliable vehicle and rebadge it as a Volkswagen. That's some smart thinking there. Sounds like a totally good plan to save VW from declining sales.
_________________
1980 Vanagon L Westy (176,200)
1992 Subaru Legacy L (175,500)

[Raggamuffin]

I just threw-up. Maybe they'll rebadge my puke and call it a Ghia...

[the caveman]

one of the main reasons i left vw after 21 years was because of their bullshit marketing department thinking they knew what the public wanted. look at the corrado. The genuises figured that the only way to sell it was fill it every lux item and gear it so tall that it was a pig off the line, but be able to cruise at 140 mph. if they would have offered a stripper and geared it lower they could sold 3 times as many. jump to present day. here in canada we now have the A4 golf and jetta being sold as the city versions great- inexpensive, lots of parts available etc, but why no diesels??? i would have bought one if they offered.

[70coupyel]

[foodeater]

I agree that its going to be a crappy van, but the reasoning is simple they save tens of millions on development by badge engineering the Town & Country. So that they can make a profit selling fewer units. VW is the king of platform sharing across their different brands (Audi, Seat, Skoda), and have in the past rebadged cars and trucks from other manufacturers, they are also planning to sell toyota (HiLux) pickups for the South African, and Austrilian markets
_________________
89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

[DWC]

Look on the bright side.....
At least it's not a Pontiac Trans Sport or a Ford Windstar.
Ewwww

Also looks like our Vanagons will go up even more in value since they are Real VW's.

Thanks VW, Mo Power to ya!
_________________
83.5 Westy Waterboxer
71 Squareback
81 Westy
59 Panel van

[morymob]

U probably have seen Chryslers "NEW" van options=they have just INVENTED A "TABLE!!! & a seat that will face to the rear!!!!! Amazing,them thar folk dont get out much i guess.

[r39o]

[Heretic shield]

The wife simply stepped up and wrote a check for a new base model 2008 T&C van. It is OK. In fact, it is not bad for a $19K van. We got NO extras with it other than purchasing an extended warranty. (they wanted $2K for a DVD system - nuts to them!) So about $22K lighter now, we have another new car. The CPA says it is a good thing for the business. She likes it. The kids think it is OK (They still LOVE the Westy and the red NB TDI, though, too.) I am underwhelmed, but it is "hers" and not mine. But, guess what she drove to LA today? Our Jetta TDI which we bought new about 5 years ago.

[/Heretic shield]
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)

[D Clymer]

[r39o]

[r39o]

[Lanval]

Walt,

Don't feel too bad. The wife wanted a Japanese mini-van, so we bought a mid 90's Mazda MPV for $3K. I've actually grown to like it.

Has 150 horsepower, so gas mileage isn't too ridiculous, and the middle seat comes out. I've actually been thinking the next time I see a vanagon table I'm gonna grab it and install it into the Mazda.

We took it to Oregon with the kid, and it was pretty darn nice. Quiet, speedy, comfortable. I'm planning on taking the vanagon next year, but we'll see. There's a lot to be said for being able to cruise at 85 up the San Jaquin Valley...

The Westy / Vanagon has a great place, but it's not the end of the line. My frustration with the VW approach, is that they've already done their homework, and basically created the minivan as an idea ~ one that had a lot of variation, and remains popular years after the fact. But rather than put that knowledge to use in building a newer, reliable Vanagon that could continue the legacy, and reach out to the largish customer base who support VW as an idea as well as a company, they hitch themselves to Chrysler. It's axiomatic that when you tie yourself to another entity, you tie yourself to that entity's limitations ~ and given the lack of inspired design in Chryler products, I just didn't see that move as the right one. I suspect that VW could have done it much better themselves ~

As for market and sales, I disagree. I wasn't always an academic, and I speak from experience when I say that it's rare that a well-designed product which expands a current and known market fails, as compared to a lesser designed product that violates certain intellectual/aesthetic/pragmatic expectations of the market. The Chrysler choice seems to do all of these at once.

Meh ~ I'll wait for a better choice ~ I keep hoping they'll make a bigger Honda Element that I can transplant my Westy interior into...

Best,

Lanval

[foodeater]

[istewart]