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.
Image via Wikipedia
Brand YTD - 07/10
Chrysler 69,020
Dodge 57,678
Honda 62,278
Kia 13,312
Mazda 10,610
Nissan 169 (discontinued)
Toyota 53,482
Volkswagen 9,773
Total 276,322
Volkswagen's market share of van sales is 3.54%, up from June and still in the range Volkswagen of America was aiming for. This is, by the way, is nearly twice their overall market share.
