Here goes nothing...

With a Little Luc

Here goes nothing...

Image via WikipediaI have always been one of those people that go on and on about how I will NEVER drive a minivan because ewww and shit. Who needs all that room? Who wants to look like a douchebag? I mean, minivans are for moms and old people with lots of grandchildren. "I won't give in!" I say. "I won't lose my cool!" There's "plenty of room in my Jetta!" "SUV's are totally enough!" You get the idea.
I 'pshawed' the car dealer when she suggested that I check out a Routan when I surprisingly declared how super tiny the Tiguan crossover was. "Nope. Never. Don't even talk to me about it" I said. After a little coaxing and a huge "what the hell!" I hopped up into the mom-mobile. "At least this will shut them up" I thought.
You know what? It wasn't so bad. The seats were leather...and soft. The touchscreen was FUN! I love touchscreens! It has how many DVD screens? You can watch 2 videos at once, you say? The doors do WHAT with the click of a button? Damn. Look at all that room! I could fit all of my photography equipment in here PLUS leave Mason's carseat and still have tons of room. There's plenty of space for another baby (when we have one) and a bigger stroller. It's comfortable. I don't feel like I am sitting on the dashboard and simultaniously smelling the backseat passenger's breath. It has a V6. It drives like a car.
Was I *gasp* losing my cool? Was I going to drive a minvan. Was I going to look like a mom? Wait.
Hold it.
I am a mom. I run a business that requires me to lug around all sorts of equipment and chairs and reflectors and props. What's the problem? Suddenly, I couldn't even tell you why I thought minivans were so bad? A "soccer mom" stigma? Maybe. But again, I am a mom. Doesn't everything have a stigma? You drive a 4 door sedan...you must be slow. And old. You drive an SUV? You must hate the environment. You drive a big truck? You must be overcompensating. You drive an expensive car? You must be snobby. Why do you need a HUGE SUV when you are a childless couple? Yadda yadda yadda.
Cover of The Italian JobNo. I think you drive your car because you like it. Imagine that. My husband never bought a sportscar because he was going to take it somewhere and race it. My in-laws didn't buy Mini Coopers because they plan on re-enacting a scene from the Italian Job (that I know of). My mom didn't buy an SUV because she is short and couldn't see the road in a smaller car. Love you, mom! And your T-Rex arms!
I guess I never thought about all this before. I thought I knew what I liked. Maybe I was trying to hold on to someone that I am not. I am a mom, but I am still Tiff. Just because I drive a bigger car that has self-opening doors doesn't mean I am someone different. I still like to drink wine! I still like to dance and watch bad reality shows! I am the same boring, child-toting, vertically challenged, cackle-laughing person...I just drive a car that has more room for your judgemental ass. So hop on in! Pop in the Hangover and let's go out on the town! I will even let you take a nap in the back if you like!

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Hertz Rent2Buy Review - Part 3 - Colleen to the Rescue

Mirthful Moose Musings

... We talked about the fact that I was looking for a VW Routan, and that I wanted the SE model that came with 2 packages, key among them was the towing package which allows you to tow up to 3500 pounds.  It included air shocks in the back and an automatic leveling feature that helps accomplish this.  …

Image by crazytales562 via Flickr...  The seats were uber comfortable.  The Routan is a rebadged Chrysler Town and Country.  In fact, my new name for it is the Grand Caravagen.  It's tweaked a little from the standard Dodge/Chrysler faire... some reviews say it's suspension and steering are much tighter.  … But it does sport some nice VW type interior items and probably most importantly, they DO NOT have the Stow 'n Go middle seats.  The VW seats are removable but not stowable.  The bins that they fold into are still there, and these are spacious and will get use.  But most importantly, the seats are COMFORTABLE... it's like a Lazy Boy... The front seats are heated, there are power windows everywhere, including the vents in the back... The rear seats have the same Tailgate seating option, and the cargo room behind them is amazing... A trip to the warehouse club with a full cart equates to filling up the bins the rear seats fold flat into... TONS of room.  I'm very happy with the van.  But back to the test drive...

Image via WikipediaOn Sunday, the family piled in and took a beautiful ride through the Berkshires to look at the foliage.  Everyone was impressed with the van, and all agreed it was a great car.  So the family gave it a thumbs up.  I averaged 23 MPG on that cruise, …  Fairly impressive for such a big and heavy van.

…  And the nice thing is that I can go to a Chrysler/Dodge dealership for that, or the VW dealership, and bid them against each other on it!
Anyway, I decided that the car was a good deal, ...

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Volkswagen’s Future Products Revealed for 2011, 2012, and Beyond

cars motor
[The following must be machine-translated. I don’t know what the originating language is, but this article proves that you can’t leave translation to a machine.

Image via WikipediaI think the post says that the Routan will continue through the model cycle, and that it is doubtful that it will get Stow ‘n Go. VW will not bring the mini-minivans (Sharan and Touran) to the U.S. The Routan will be replaced with something the same size. The new Routan will have more VW characteristics. It won’t be a Microbus (Transporter). The Transporter available in Europe would cost about $60-70,000 here.

Image via WikipediaThis news follows what I have heard or surmised in the past. The current model cycle continues through 2013. I’m curious to see who will build Mark 2, and when the minivan will get a diesel. I’d buy a new one with a diesel in a heartbeat.]

Image via WikipediaRoutan – The Chrysler-sourced minivan will abide through its artefact cycle, and it is absurd that it will anytime get Chrysler’s Stow ‘n Go folding second-row seats. The Routan will be replaced with a similar-size vehicle, not a abate mini-minivan like the European Sharan or Touran, as has been appear elsewhere. VW is absurd to add added minivans to it artefact portfolio in the accountable future.

Microbus – Volkswagen will not acceptation a minivan from Europe to the U.S. The accepted Transporter awash in Europe would amount $60k to $70k if awash in the U.S. That said, VW hints that the abutting adaptation of the Routan—or whatever it’s called—will accept added VW cast characteristics. Like, say, a Microbus badge?

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My New Love.... My Volkswagon Routan

Six in the Suburbs | Same Family. Different Stories. One Blog

Image via WikipediaAlong with most new mothers I had vowed to never ever get a MINI-VAN.
   However, with both the kids in clunky car seats, the 5-seater SUV just wasn't cuttin' it anymore. That is where my love story begins with my new mini-van, and I couldn't be any prouder. Not only can you change & feed a baby on the back bench- you can change & eat back there yourself! When that back bench isn't needed it can be stored in the floor giving you space equal to that of a pick-up truck for shopping trips to your local wholesale club or hardware superstore.
   Our first day together my 3 year old helped me to stock it with everything we'd need in our travels. There was a spot for each and every item I already had two of in the linen closet and a spare outfit for each of us just in case. First-Aid kit, an old-but-still-good towel, a roll of paper towels & toilet paper, snacks, movies, juice boxes, yadda-yadda-yadda. …

Image via Wikipedia[The blog post goes on about toileting matters that only a Mommy could love] …in a nice little compartment that my precious VW Routan is equipped with! …

   I am by genetics a napper. Both of my parents love a good nap, and I was raised to take it as it comes. So when the two kids are napping and I have accomplished anything that can be accomplished by drive-thru window I crawl on back and AHHHHHH......get snuggled in. Of course I've got blankets and a pillow always on reserve so comfort is a given. When you've got the room of a mini-van you can easily be prepared for those opened opportunities to get a little R & R.
Needless to say: There is no way I would have been able to do all this in anything other than a mini-van!
- M.L.E

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Video of Routan Launch San Francisco 10/7-9/08

Visit www.autonetwork.com to view the entire event. Bret Scott, Manager of Product Plotting, gives an overview of Routan Minivan to journalists at launch of Volkwagen’s VW first minivan the Routan held in San Franciso, Oct. 7-9, 2008.

2009 Volkswagen Routan Review

2010 Routan Fact Video from a dealership

VW Has Bigger Share of U.S. Under-35 Market Thanks to Routan

Image via Wikipedia

The Michigan Business News Blog may be a venerable outlet, but I don’t know where they are getting their figures regarding the Routan. They miss the fact that it is doing what no other mini-van has been able to do—sell to the under-35 “I wouldn’t be caught dead driving a mini-van like my soccer Mom” crowd.

The Routan is holding it’s own. http://routanowner.blogspot.com/2010/10/routan-september-2010-ytd-sales.html In fact, Routan’s portion of the American mini-van market (3.51%) is more than 50% greater than VW’s share of the overall American market (2.2%).
Routan is selling into a younger mini-van market, which is in keeping with the younger market VW wants for the Jetta. 23.3% of Routan buyers are under the age of 35. The only vehicle with a higher percentage of under-35 owners is the Volkswagen GTI at 23.4%. http://routanowner.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-10-models-for-young-drivers.html

Image via WikipediaVW has the mini-van for the younger driver. Only the Mazda 5 shows up in the top-30 with 17.7% young ownership. All other mini-vans have under 35 owner percentages between 16.2% and 6%.

Volkswagen’s other models are positioned for the younger driver. Volkswagen has 5 of the top 30 cars for the under-35, matched only by Mazda.

Michigan Business News Blog

So far, VW has made some inroads. Through September, its U.S. car sales are up 20.6%, a growth rate outpaced only by Subaru and Ford Motor Co. among mass-market manufacturers. Market share for the VW brand has ticked up to 2.2% so far in 2010, up from 2% a year ago. (Counting in Audi sales, VW's U.S. share is 3.1%.)
Its biggest test comes next year with the launch of a larger sedan intended to replace the Passat. The new Chattanooga plant will have the capacity to build 150,000 of them, 11 times the Passat's current sales, and they'll compete in the auto market's toughest segment—against the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
"Hyundai is extremely aggressive, and Toyota and Honda are going to spend lots of money to hold onto everything they've got," Mr. Ellis says.
VW's struggle with its Routan minivan, introduced two years ago, underscores the challenges the car maker has had in selling cars with more conventional American appeal under a brand that takes pride in German engineering.
After dropping plans for a modern version of its Microbus for fear it would be too niche and costly, it signed a deal with Chrysler to modify and rebrand the U.S. car maker's Town & Country minivan under the VW Routan name. VW tightened the minivan's suspension, gave it a sleeker front end and kept it in the same price range as the Chrysler. With an ad blitz featuring Brooke Shields, it aimed to capture 5%, or 45,000, of the 700,000 annual minivan market.
But the Routan's launch coincided with the auto industry's nose dive in late 2008. So many of them sat unsold on VW dealer lots last year that the auto maker asked Chrysler, which builds them at its Windsor, Ontario, plant, to temporarily halt production. While much of the rest of the minivan market has rebounded, Routan sales have slipped 0.8% to 12,539 vans so far this year, one-seventh of the number of Town & Country sales in the same period.
VW officials argue that the Routan has enabled them to sell to a key new customer segment. The company still expects the Routan's market share to grow as more consumers become aware of it as a minivan option.

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15 More Amazing Vehicles

Topher Welsh is back with another image collection! Here’s what he has to say : “Time for another vehicles roundup! We got some amazing looking vehicle renders for you to check out… mostly cars, but some others are thrown in the mix. If you have any favorites that I’ve overlooked, please post them in the comments!”

VW Golf Mk2 Turbo in Studio by Alexandre Guilbeault



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Red Personal Old Mini by mygue



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Smart by wuops



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Volkswagon Routan by Sergio



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“VANDAL” Nissan Skyline GTR tuned version by Impluse Design



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Audi R8 by nitin.grg



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Train 3Ds by needse



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Tank by needse



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Mini Front WIP by needse



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Doom Buggy by needse



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R8 by vizardTP



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ZHPre by parhams



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Audi S5 Sportback by YUXdesign



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Hudson by dj



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Honda Car by Mantra

15 More Amazing Vehicles

Theme song origins

CHICAGO SUN-TIMESImage via Wikipedia

October 3, 2010
…[It] may be the most recognizable television tune ever — the one that accompanies Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor and his young son, Opie, as they amble on down to the local fishing hole with poles in hand.

Image via WikipediaImage by Getty Images via @daylifeWritten by the late Chicago-born composer Earle Hagen — who died in 2008 …— the opening theme to “The Andy Griffith Show” immediately evokes a more innocent time and place where honesty, integrity, friendship and family were always paramount. It currently can be heard in a commercial for the Volkswagen Routan minivan …

Chances are you’re whistling it — out loud or in your head — right now.

Here, according to Hagen’s widow, Laura … is how it came to be. The charmingly unpolished version that played early on was reportedly the same version Hagen recorded in one take as a mere demo.  
“Sheldon [Leonard, a producer and director] told Earle [the show] was set in a hometown, kind of a backwoods little quiet town called Mayberry, and they wanted something that would fit that. And Earle told me, ‘It just took me quite a while to decide on what to do. And then I realized it just had to be something really simple. Something you could whistle.’ And that’s when he came up with it. He said he penciled out the piano part, called up some musicians, went into the studio that night and recorded a demo. And he had his son, Deane, who was 11 at the time, do the snapping fingers. And Earle whistled it and these guys played it and he gave it to Sheldon, and Sheldon loved it and he said, ‘We’re just going to use that for the opening shot and we’ll have Andy and Opie walking down a little mountain road there by a stream with fishing poles over their shoulders.’ And it’s all history after that.”
Mike Thomas

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Routan September, 2010 YTD Sales

This is not an official release from Volkswagen of America.

Volkswagen is not discontinuing the Routan. We will see how the current management positions the Routan--the van is frequently tied to the departed CEO Stefan Jacoby. However, the Routan's market share is in line with targets set at its introduction. See the article Get It Straight--the Routan Is a Phenomenal Seller on this blog for a discussion why the Routan would not be discontinued because of sales numbers.

Research by Truecar.com indicates that 23.3% of Routan owners are younger than 35. Only the Volkswagen GTI has more owners under 35 in the U.S. at 23.4%. It would appear that Gen Y views the Routan as the best choice if they have to drive a minivan. Once they buy it, they seem to love it, as seen by their entries on blogs and Twitter.

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." Jacoby has since left the company to go to Volvo, but the Routan is still doing what they expected it to do.

PRNewswire published the September and YTD sales figures of the auto-makers who sell in the U.S. From these reports, we glean the following data:



Brand YTD - 9/10

Chrysler   87,493


Dodge      74,954


Honda      79,725


Kia        17,217


Mazda      12,865


Nissan        177 (discontinued)


Toyota     72,131


Volkswagen 12,539


Total     357,101

Volkswagen's market share of van sales is 3.51%, in the range Volkswagen of America was aiming for. This is, by the way, nearly twice their overall market share.

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Volkswagen of America Announces 14.9% Increase for September Sales

Jetta Leads the Way with Strong Month and First Sales of All-New 2011 Model

HERNDON, Va., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. today reported September sales of 19,943 total units, for an increase of 14.9 percent over September 2009.  Year-to-date sales for the entire line of Volkswagen vehicles were up 20.6 percent over 2009.

Jetta led the way with sales of 10,769 vehicles, marking a 12.6 percent increase over last year and the best sales month for Jetta since August 2009.  Consumers began purchasing the all-new 2011 Jetta that arrived in showrooms late in the month.

Volkswagen's line of industry-leading clean diesel TDI models also showed particular strength in September with the second highest TDI mix ever at 27 percent of all Volkswagen vehicles sold during the month, indicating a growing importance of clean diesel TDI vehicles to consumers.

Vehicles across the Volkswagen line showed strength in September.  Combined Golf and GTI sales were up 252 percent; Tiguan sales were up 49.7 percent; Routan sales were up 33.9 percent; and Passat sedan sales showed a 10.6 percent increase for the month.
"Sales of Volkswagen's full line of products continued to grow in September," said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc.  "The Jetta, which is core to our growth plans in North America, showed a strong month with the very first sales of the all-new 2011 Jetta.  Our clean diesel TDI vehicles also showed strength, indicating consumers are increasingly seeking the performance and benefits of Volkswagen's TDI technology."
Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.  It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany.  Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker.  Volkswagen sells the Eos, Golf, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers.  All 2010 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program.  This is important because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at http://www.vw.com/ or http://www.media.vw.com/ to learn more.

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