Can Minivan Automakers Bring Sexy Back?

Not Your Mom's Minivan Blog

I am reminded of the age-old question: SUV or Minivan? Obviously as a minivan blogger, I have some leanings toward the latter. A recent blog post by Tom McKnight outlines the benefits and disadvantages of each and provides some insight as to what consumers should think about when making the decision for themselves (appearance, safety, utilitarianism, etc.) For me with two small children, safety was a huge factor; however, I must admit that the sexiness of a SUV was more appealing than that of the current minivan lineup.

So what can automakers do to entice consumers to purchase a minivan over an SUV? Also, does it make business sense to do so? The 2008 Volkswagen Routan marketing campaign was a step in the right direction by having Brooke Shields encourage parents to “have a baby for love, not for German engineering.” In addition the Routan was priced much lower ($25k) than it’s SUV counterpart, the Toureg ($40k). …

Dodge Grand Caravan SXT Review

[This is a review of the Dodge van that is most similar to the Routan. What is interesting is that the blogger says he would rather buy the Routan.]

3.30.2010

TireKicker Blog

Ignorance is bliss.
During my week in the Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, I was won over...the user-friendliness, utility and ease of driving erased misgivings I had about the materials inside being a cut or so below that of a Honda Odyssey. …

I knew it was loaded...but I didn't realize how loaded until I asked for a copy of the sticker. This minivan had more than $13,000 in options...jacking the bottom line all the way up to $41,385. No longer reasonable nor a bargain.

So what could I live without if I were playing with my own money?

Well, Swivel 'n Go, which allows the second-row captain's chairs to turn and face the third row, with a stowable table between (just like the old VW vans) was novel and a hit with the kids, but it has its drawbacks...in order to give the driver and front passenger legroom and maximum distance from the airbags, the second row seats have to slide on their tracks toward the rear of the van...and then there's not much legroom for the four people face-to-face. We found that out with two tall teenage boys one afternoon. …

But the biggest expense is the electronics extravaganza...

Now, some of that (I'm a sucker for a good stereo and believe hands-free cellular communications should be standard equipment) is worth keeping…

UPDATE: Recently had a 2010 Grand Caravan SXT and there's some good news. For beginners, base price has actually dropped to $26,730. The interior is marginally nicer than last years...no real revisions...just feels like the suppliers improved materials a quarter-notch.

But best of all, the option packages are re-worked. This one managed leather, Swivel 'n Go, a premium group including iPod controls and an upgrade to a 500-watt, 9-speaker Infinity audio system, 3-zone climate control and the 4.0 liter 6 for $34,100 after destination charges. And Dodge has a 4.0 liter engine discount of $630 (essentially making it free), so the bottom line ended up at $33,470.
That makes a lot more sense than $41,000 for the first one...and makes a favorable comparison with the VW Routan (same van, different styling and interior touches). Still, it ended up $1,200 more than the comparably-equipped Routan we tested(the Routan doesn't offer Swivel n'Go)..and we'd probably buy the Routan… .

New Car!!!!

Pardon my Chaos Blog

We finally caved and got a new family vehicle. It's been a long time coming, considering the van we had was 6 yrs old. with breaks that were going to go out literally any day. And a base line model with few conviences that didn't work anyways. Not to mention last week's fiasco....ha
After throwing the desires around for a few months..Sunday at my sister's she said why don't we go to the dealership. My dad and her had both recently bought a car at the local volkswagon dealership and soooooo we showed up wanting to look around. Of course fell in love with the Routan worked out a GOOD deal over almost 5 hours of hanging around there...and....I AM IN LOVE!
Although I can't decide what I love more, the 2 dvd screens that can play different movies or even video games for the back. Or the automatic sliding doors and back....Or is it the heated seats, oh no the reverse camera to see what's behind you. I seriously feel so spoiled with this thing haha...

Posted by Amanda

Perspective: Volkswagen’s PunchDub game

SkiddMark

…The first rule of any good social media campaign is to make the audience your focal point and Volkswagen have a track-record of doing this better than most. …

PunchDub however is perhaps their most ambitious project to date. It began with a $6 million TV spot during the 2010 Super Bowl weekend, part of an integrated campaign to introduce a new game called ‘PunchDub’. This is a reworking of the classic kids travel game Punch Buggy (or Slug Bug), which is essentially a play-fight version of ‘Eye-Spy’ that entitles anyone who spots a VW Beetle to call out ‘punch buggy’ before dealing their unsuspecting fellow passenger a punch in the arm…

Volkswagen’s new ‘PunchDub’ game extends the rules to all models in the range, with each model having its own special style of punch to qualify for a subsequent points score.

You can read all the intricacies of the rule-book in a 23-page electronic guide on Volkswagen’s website, which explains how to deal virtual punches to your friends via Facebook Connect and the prizes available for the most successful players of the game.

The Machine Gun: continue punching rapidly until your pal moves away. Goes best with the Golf GTI

Another technique used by Volkswagen to foster engagement is the leaderboard on the PunchDub site, this shows the total number of punches recorded (273,303 as of 30-03-2010), most punches by a user and top vehicles which in case you’re interested ranks as follows;

1. Passat CC (42,823)
2. Golf GTI (36,510)
3. New Beetle Convertible (29,589)
4. Eos (25,068)
5. New Beetle (25,010)
6. Tiguan (23,706)
7. Touareg (23,464)
8. Jetta (23,372)
9. Routan Minivan (19,996)
10. Golf (16,702)

Now, getting back to those 8 videos that are currently available in the PunchDub series. The series kicks off with a short mockumentary starring a character called ‘Sluggy Patterson’ who allegedly started the PunchDub pastime 50 years ago. …

Comedian Tracy Morgan and soul legend Stevie Wonder star in VW

Volkswagen are hoping to create a genuine phenomenon that will outlast the campaign and introduce many new customers to the brand. So has it worked? Well let’s introduce you to the current series of videos and then let you decide…

1. Meet Sluggy Patterson the creator of PunchDub – this is our introduction to the surly ex-Boxer who is claimed to have started the pastime [Unique views: 90,741] *
2. Sluggy Patterson talks about his blog – VW have asked Sluggy to write down all his punch stories on a blog [Unique views: 11,395]
3. Sluggy Patterson talks about his Twitter – Sluggy answers questions posted on his Twitter feed (or Tweeter as Sluggy calls it) [Unique views: 8,607]
4. Sluggy Patterson talks about the rules of PunchDub – For example “No more than 76 shots for each car”, Why? Because Sluggy says so [Unique views: 8,630]
5. VW PunchDub Commercial – TV commercial featuring soul singer Stevie Wonder and comedian Tracy Morgan [Unique views: 933,626]
6. How did he play PunchDub? – So how did Stevie Wonder play PunchDub when a red VW Jetta drove by? [Unique views: 15,499]
7. NEW: CC Reveal – VW’s Passat CC catches out an unwary car park attendant in this ad [Unique views: 610]
8. NEW: Tiguan Vroom – The Tiguan is the only compact SUV with a turbocharged engine as standard, cue another round of PunchDub [Unique views: 525]

User views are just one measure of a campaign’s success, another relevant outcome would be evidence of user-generated videos of which there are few – although several VW dealers have created a few.

Nearly 3,400 people are following Sluggy Patterson’s twitter feed which is being updated regularly and there are daily retweets and conversations on both Twitter and Facebook, so in terms of awareness and user engagement we’d judge this campaign as a success, although perhaps the high-volume of videos and fictional theme may have confused a few people.

Take a look for yourself at Volkswagen’s Channel on SkiddPlayer, they’re well executed, humorous and a good example of the type of social media campaign you can expect to see more of in future.

*Source: YouTube/SkiddPlayer as of 30th March 2010

My New Taxi: A 2010 VW Routan

Tree, Root, and Twig Blog

I’ve been putting up to 150 miles a week on my car by repeatedly driving within the same limited radius: elementary school, jr high, high school, grocery store, daughter’s work, and church. It’s put a lot of wear-and-tear on our 12yr old Suburban, and several months ago we decided to take advantage of a really great deal and work towards getting a new Volkswagen Routan (just the S model – we went *super basic*).

We picked up the new van on Friday, and I love it!

Not our van, but same model. Photo courtesy reviews.carreview.com.

I think my favorite thing is the awesome visibility – there is a ton of windshield to take everything in, and the windows and rear-view are well-spaced. It’s a very quiet, smooth ride. It’s much narrower than our Suburban, and we lost one seat, so the kids do have to cozy in a bit closer. The Routan has a boxier body than most Volkswagens, but I’ll forgive it that. I appreciate the simple dashboard, dual temperature controls (though fan strength doesn’t change, and our basic model has no heated seats), and especially the mp3 jack for the radio.

Again, not our van, though this is an exact duplicate. Photo courtesy Yahoo Autos.

I’m not sure why, but there are a whopping SIX CUPHOLDERS in the front of the car, with four for the middle bench, and four in the back. There are also power outlets strategically placed throughout the interior. And the large windows for the middle bench actually open! I’m not sure why that tickles me so, but I honestly giggle every time I realize they’re able to put those windows down.

I also really like the trunk area:

Not our van. Photo courtesy Yahoo Autos.

The hooks in the back are convenient for storing grocery bags, and our model came with mesh accessory bags that can stretch the width of the trunk space and keep things in place. I brought groceries home tonight and was so happy to know the milk gallons weren’t rolling around in the back.

Today was a crazy busy day driving in circles for nearly three hours, but I have to say, I enjoyed it much more in my new taxi!

Maybe minivans aren't so bad

Previous to this article, there seemed to be a definite bias against the Routan among Canadian columnists. At best, they would damn with faint praise. Ms. Gray took the Routan for face value. Rather than ranting that "it's just a Dodge Grand Caravan," she accepted the collaboration of Volkswagen and Chrysler to build a people mover that had "spunk, style, and major space." Thank you, Kim Gray, for accepting good where it is, rather picking on all the things one might wish were included.

Calgary Herald

By Kim Gray, Calgary HeraldMarch 15, 2010

One of the great perks that comes with writing a regular column is reader feedback.…

Last spring, I wrote a story featuring my thoughts on the minivan as a seriously unsexy mode of domestic travel.

I had no way to predict the debate it would stir. Nor did I imagine I would soon find myself test-driving a series of modern day mom-mobiles for a followup article.

I drove everything from popular minivans like the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna ( "you have to drive one to understand the attraction," I was told) to the funky Ford Flex (which evoked strong opinions in favour and against everywhere I went) to sporty, high-end Acura and Volvo SUVs (nothing like being swathed in luxury as one navigates her way to the grocery store.)

What interests me about this story -- more than the fact that mothers pretty much fall into two distinct camps (pro-and anti-minivan) -- is the fact that not only is the modern mom passionate about her choice of vehicle, but her tastes are shaping the future of car design. …

Reached last week in Florence, Italy -- where Volkswagen was releasing its first hybrid (an intermediate luxury Touareg SUV targeted to families) -- Volkswagen Canada spokesperson Peter Viney says he won't say the influence of women on future car design is 100 per cent -- "but I will say it has become a huge, overwhelming influence."

Of all the vehicles I test-drove, one did stand out from the crowd -- though I'm hesitant to name it given my previous, possibly obnoxious, position on minivans.

It was a microbus.

A black lacquer VW Routan.

The Routan -- an effort by Volkswagen in collaboration with Chrysler to meet the needs of families looking for more space -- had spunk, style and major space.

Go figure. A minivan with mojo. …

On behalf of moms everywhere -- no matter what their preference -- I salute this new-found trend.

Again, columnists can't always predict where a story will take them.

But I've thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Kim Gray -- whose column runs in The Calgary Herald every third Monday of each month -- is a journalist and mother of two. She welcomes your feedback and story ideas at modernfamily@theherald.canwest.com

Her Modern Family blog can be found at calgaryherald.com/blogs

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Best Cars of 2010

The Routan tied with Toyota Sienna for 2nd in Minivan category.

Providential Bancorp's Blog

Here are some of the best reviewed cars for 2010.

Hybrid Vehicles

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid racked up the most awards, including the Motor Trend Car of the Year.

Sports Cars

In the category of affordable sports cars, generally priced under $35,000, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the Nissan 370Z faired very well. So did the 2010 MX-5 Miata.

Muscle Cars

The Ford Mustang dominated the muscle car category for 2010 and was a Motor Trend Car of the Year finalist.

Minivans

The Honda Odyssey took first place in the field of minivans with the Toyota Sienna, the Kia Sedona, and the Volkswagen Routan all tied for the No. 2 slot, according to U.S. News & World Reports.

Affordable Cars

In the category of most affordable small cars — generally priced under $20,000 — while offering great value, the Honda Fit rolled into the No. 1 spot followed by the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra.

NADAguides.com's best car buys for 2010

nwautos

Auto guide group reveals 2010 car picks
NADAguides.com has announced its "Best Car Buys" for 2010 based on fuel efficiency, warranty coverage, safety and depreciation. The following are the top vehicles in each category.

Coupe: Toyota Yaris
Crossover: Chevrolet Equinox
Luxury Car: Audi A4
Pickup: Toyota Tacoma
Sedan: Hyundai Elantra
Sports Car: Chevrolet Camaro
SUV: GMC Terrain
Van: Volkswagen Routan (shown above right)
Wagon: Audi A4
Hybrid: Honda Civic Hybrid

--NWautos staff

Kids, We're Getting a Minivan.

Orange County Moms Blog

I'm not proud to say that I'm going to be getting a Minivan pretty soon. I mean, sure... they aren't the old steal boxes with fake wood siding that used to crowd the parking lot of my school growing up, but to me there is that stigma attached to them. That stigma that tells the world, "I've given up on my life, and now I drive a Minivan."

… I can't help but think about all of the Moms that drove those in the 80's and 90's that wore knee socks, bermuda shorts, turtle necks, or *gasp* MOM JEANS while driving their family movers proudly from school to extra curricular activities. When I was growing up, my Mom always looked cool. If she wasn't driving a Porsche (I'm dead serious about that), wearing a Tennis Outfit, and sporting Pat Banetar hair then she was dressed at the height of fashion driving a Benz. … But what my Mom taught me is that just because you are a Mother, that doesn't mean you can't still look cool and feel good about yourself.

She always drove a car she liked that suited her needs, and while some of them were a bit more exotic then I could ever dream of affording, she still stuck true to herself rather then just give up. …

As I'm pregnant with number three, and my very nice mid-sized SUV will in no way fit three car seats in it, my husband and I have been exploring our options as to what vehicle to purchase with the proceeds of selling his (very tiny) car. Since we are trying to be smart with our finances, we have decided that whatever car we get will be paid for in cash and will have to be inexpensive to maintain for the next few years. We've researched our hearts out, even had arguments over vehicles! Until one day last week when I was at the mall and they had a Volkswagen Routan on display for all of the shopping Moms to see.

I was in love.

…What I'm in love with is the amount of space that it provides, the fact that there are power sliding doors I can control with my key chain, power hatch assist (just like my more expensive SUV), and (drum roll please) TV SCREENS. Oh, the TV screens that I swore I'd NEVER purchase with a car are now looking better and better as it's necessary for our family to drive to places like Mammoth Lakes and Phoenix to visit loved ones. And as we all know entertained children are happy children, and happy children are quiet children. Happy children mean happy parents. You do not want Mommy to be upset!

The best thing is that we could pay cash for a mid-range model that has the power doors and the TV screens, and it comes with three years of free scheduled maintenance. At this point, I would be crazy to consider anything else. A car with no payment that I wouldn't have to worry about maintenance bills for three years? I'm sold.

… It gets a weeee bit better gas mileage then a gigantic tank of an SUV, and it has under floor storage!

The more and more I think about it, this seems to be the vehicle with ALL of the answers to my life's needs. Sure, I still feel like I'm giving up on some little part of me that was always fighting to break free from motherhood. But why do I need to have sex appeal in the car that I drive? I'm married... with children (soon to be many children), and perhaps it's just time that I had a car that addressed all of my convenience issues that come with my lifestyle. So we've told the kids (well, at least "Cabana Boy" understands), "We're Getting a Minivan." All of a sudden we are THE COOLEST parents in town, because our car will have "special" TVs in it for when we go to visit Uncle Billy and Auntie Andrea.

I'm desperately trying to reconcile my thoughts on this purchase. It would be smart, yes! Very smart! But is it a Frump Mobile? If there is one thing that I'm not, it's frumpy. Just make sure you don't tell anyone you've seen me driving my new Minivan when I get it though. Please? Seriously, I owe you already!

Original Orange County Moms Blog post.

Jennifer is a mother of two little boys, with baby number three arriving in August! Being a Full-Time Mom with a Full-Time Job certainly keeps her busy, and she tries to find the silver lining in every mortifying, embarrassing, and difficult situation she encounters. Just be sure word doesn't get around that she's driving a Minivan when the purchase has been made! You can also follow Jennifer at her personal blog, or tweet with her on Twitter.

Volkswagen Creates New Performance Brand

[Think about a Routan R. Hey, one can dream. Remember “The Little Red Wagon”?—DMW]

The CarGurus Blog

March 17th, 2010

Goto comments Leave a comment

2011 Volkswagen Golf R

…Yesterday, to our delight, the news finally came from Wolfsburg: Not only will VW build performance versions of some cars, it is creating an entire new brand for the job.

The new company, called Volkswagen R GmbH, will take on the responsibilities of developing, implementing, and selling R-badged vehicles from now on.

“Our vehicles contribute to the emotionalisation and growth of Volkswagen brand,” explained Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, General Manager of Volkswagen R GmbH.

The Golf R is already expected to hit U.S. shores next year, and there is a good possibility that a Jetta R won’t be far behind… Europe already has the Scirocco R and Passat CC R-Line.

The Golf R should come equipped with a 265-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter engine capable of a 155 mph top speed and a 5.5-second sprint to 60 mph.

By making R GmbH its own division, we’d expect to see more R-badged Volkswagens on American streets soon. While a Routan R seems like a bit of a stretch, why not R versions of the Tiguan and Touareg?…

-tgriffith

From the Hummer to the Volkswagen minivan...

SunshineMamas.com

Submitted by Guest Mama on March 17, 2010 – 7:00 AM

… Some may say I’m officially a “mom” now that I’m driving a minivan BUT I tell you that my new ride has made my life much easier! The convenience factor has been a blessing on its own. With a 4 year old, 2 year old and another little one on the way I couldn’t be happier with my outcome.

There were limited choices on vehicles to choose from considering 3 car seats needed to fit in the back as well as getting better gas mileage and a cheaper monthly payment. My Volkswagen Routon (a.k.a. the V-dub!) offered everything we were looking for. …

So…I may not be the cool chick driving the Hummer anymore but I’m for sure the practical mom. I encourage all you Mamas out there who are looking for a new vehicle and have sworn to yourself (just as I had) that you would never be caught driving a minivan to think twice. YOU CAN ROCK A MINIVAN!

Check out the VW Routan!

Preview: Mini-Minivans

Motor Talk

Family Fridays – A look at the upcoming Mini-Minivans

It’s no secret that I love the Mazda5 and the concept of Mini-Minivans. The problem is that I might be one of the few that actually does. But, since this is my post, I’ll continue the love fest over Mini-Minivans.

In addition to the 2011 Mazda5 refresh, there are two other Mini-Minivans coming stateside very soon, the Ford Grand C-Max and the VW Sharan.

2011 Mazda5 – Coming later this year

Much has already been written about the 5 here on Motor Talk. See Preview of 2011 Mazda5 and first Used Car Review of 2006 Mazda5.

Like previously mentioned, we are still VERY skeptical of the swoops on the side of the van but, love the blend of value, performance and functionality the 5 brings to the table. Before, the 5 was all by itself, will the new competition raise the bar? (Note to Mazda: Where is the Mazdaspeed version?)

2011 Ford Grand C-Max – Coming 4th quarter 2011

The hits keep coming from Ford. We were surprised when we first heard that the C-Max was coming, and we were really surprised when we found out that the version with proper sliding doors was coming. Don’t have full details yet, but I sure do like the looks. This might be the alternative to those that don’t want those controversial ridges on the 5. (Note to Ford: Where is the RS or SVT version?)

2011 Volkswagen Sharan – Stateside ??? Hopefully 2012 ???

Out of the 3 Mini-Minivans, the VW looks to have the most conservative styling…who knows that might be a good thing (see Accord and Camry). The rumored plans from VW is to replace the Routan with the Sharan. With apologies to Brook Shields…I say, GREAT IDEA! If nothing else, this has a manual gearbox!

Motor Talk Straight Talk – Sliding doors and manual gearboxes = Functionality and Fun!

VW Routan: Driving report

Car Blog

Well, what shall we say about the VW Routan. Maybe nothing and let others speak.

VW did what it could to restyle the front and the rear of the Routan, including tighter gaps between front panels. It also tightened up the handling and added better-looking wheels, a nicer dash, better seats and a beefy leather steering wheel.

VW accomplished a lot, considering that exterior styling for the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country was already frozen by the time VW signed up in January ‘06 to have Chrysler build the Routan.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, VW Routan

Source: Auto Week

roQQ boTTom sports: Week Recap, since I've been slacking...

roqqbottom.blogspot.com

The blogger bought a new car recently, and in the process became conversant in car colors. While most manufacturers add some exotic adjective to a color name, Volkswagen provides a whole paragraph. Here are his comments on 2010 Routan colors. (By the way, Volkswagen replaced Atlantis Blue—the color of my 2009 Routan SEL, with Tanzanite. In fact, they may be the same color and Volkswagen wanted to remove 2 blues from the list.)

Good god. The Routan has eight new shades, or perhaps one new shade, and seven renamed shades. Take a deep breath.
Antigua Blue: "Clean, simple and pure. It's like a huge vanilla ice cream cone that never melts." And it's Downy fresh...well, it's the shade of fabric softener. Blue vanilla? See, I just told you the shade without all this nonsense. Though I'm too butch to use fabric softener...or hand sanitizer.
Cala Lily White: "Clean and untouched. Here's carte blanche to make your mark." Sounds like a Madonna song...looks like Moby Dick.
Cocoa Bean: "Dark, rich and delicious like the treat it's inspired by." They know they need to manipulate the wife into wanting this. Men are going to manipulate their way into a 4x4.
Mercury Silver: "Lustrous, mysterious, mercurial. Like quicksilver. Now you see it, now you don't." Like your vampire boyfriend. Or bon bons.
Tanzanite: "A shaded medley of sapphire blue, violet and burgundy that glimmers like a rare gemstone." Good god. It's like an ad for Jareds.
Pomegranate Red: "Mouthwateringly fresh. Ready to be picked and savored." But don't dip your chips in it. Maybe a shade darker than salsa. Maybe.
Noctune Black: "Sophisticated, stylish, and trendsetting. Noctune Black is the new black."
Meteor Gray: "Elegant and out of this world, ready to enter the earth's atmosphere in style." These last two are more butch than their descriptions, which still are a bit estrogen-heavy.

Spring Break in Destin – book today

A Travel Writer’s opinion of the Volkswagen Routan

Birmingham Travel Examiner

Becky Beall

Transportation Note:
Need lots of room for traveling? Why not try the only minivan in America with German engineering? Volkswagen's Routan offers terrific road handling and five-star crash ratings. This is a mom mobile!

FACTS:
2009 Volkswagen Routan SE
Class: Minivans
Fuel Economy: 16/23
Price as Driven: $32,720

Traveling with children is made more tolerable with today's amenities available on upper end minivans and crossovers. With that being said, Volkswagen's new Routan doesn't follow the pack, it leads the pack. Not only is this German engineered minivan perfect for families in terms of space, but also in terms of safety, comfort, and added amenities.

The Routan comes standard with a 3.8 liter V6 engine providing 197 horsepower (available also in 4.0 liter V6 with 251 horsepower). The suspension and steering are both German tuned for exceptional handling and noteable advanced driving dynamics. You'll love the remote engine start, the second row power windows, and the power sliding doors.
Kids will love the rear seat entertainment system with two nine-inch screens for second and third rows including wireless headphones and remote control. Don't worry mom and dad, there is SIRIUS Satellite Radio for you!
This is a well-made, well-thought-out vehicle perfect for families, traveling or not. It seats up to seven, has lots of cup holders, and handles the road like a champ. For the money and the fuel economy...this is a great choice for today's modern family.

MY FAVES:
Fuel efficient, yet plenty of power to effectively maneuver through traffic.
European styling and the road handling of a German-inspired vehicle.
Remote back liftgate.
Navigation is simple and easy to operate.

Routan photos courtesy of Volkswagen of America, Inc.

VW February Sales Up 36%

Owner's Manual Blog

Mar.03, 2010 in Sales

Volkswagen has announced February sales and the results are encouraging. A huge gain in the popular GTI was no doubt helped by it’s being named Car of the Year by Automobile Magazine.

Other big gainers: Tiguan and the popular Routan minivan.

Outlook
Overall sales, including domestic brands and unadjusted for business days, were up 13.3 percent from February 2009 and 12 percent from last month. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicles now stands at 10.38 million units, an improvement from 9.17 million units in February 2009.

YTD to Feb Routan Sales

This is not an official release from Volkswagen of America. February Routan sales increased year over year, and it increased it's market share % over 2009. Model awareness is building now that ad agency Deutch is placing Routan ads on TV. They have resurrected the "Wet Boy" spot for the time being. The Punch Dub ads not only feature the Routan, but by playing the game the public increases their awareness of the modern Volkswagen.
On February 6, 2008, Associated Press reported, in part: "[Volkswagen of America President and CEO Stefan] Jacoby said the minivan market still is approaching 1 million vehicles a year, and Volkswagen would like to capture 3 to 5 per cent of that."
PRNewswire published the February and YTD sales figures of the auto-makers who sell in the U.S. From these reports, we glean the following data:
Brand YTD - 02/10
Chrysler 13,180
Dodge 13,688
Honda 12,315
Kia 1,906
Mazda 3,602
Nissan 116 (discontinued)
Toyota 6,615
Volkswagen 1,824
Total 53,246
Volkswagen's market share of van sales is 3.43%, right where Volkswagen of America was aiming for. Volkswagen has gained market share where they had none.