Chrysler dealers praise new, upgraded models, CEO

As said here many times before, the Routan is the Town & Country Chrysler should have built all along.

Image via Wikipedia

detnews.com | The Detroit News

Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News

Chrysler Group LLC's product renewal starts now, in a game of catch-up that coincides with the slow rebound of the industry.


Perhaps the biggest area of upgrades is in the passenger compartments, where hard plastic and cheap-looking interiors will be replaced by softer, higher-quality materials, visually appealing instrument panels and gauges, more-comfortable seats and steering wheels with integrated controls.

Image via WikipediaUpdated minivans also were shown Tuesday. The interior of the Town & Country is "so much better," said Hall. Some of the credit goes to the fact the Windsor, Ontario, plant also makes the VW Routan, and Chrysler "saw what VW was using and how to do it." The Dodge Grand Caravan was referred to as the "man van" to distinguish the two.

"I think the design changes will put the minivans back ahead of the competition," said Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers. "For the last four or five years, we cheaped out. No more cheap plastic."

Image via Wikipedia

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The Five Most Discounted Cars - The Car Connection

The Car Connection

By Sean Tucker Contributor September 10th, 2010
Five thousand dollars off.  Seven thousand dollars off.  Twelve thousand dollars off.
They may sound ridiculous, but these figures are actually just the jumping off points for negotation on a handful of cars this month. Customer incentives and factory-to-dealer incentives (when the automaker provides the dealer with a bonus for selling the car -- which you can work into negotiations, knowing the dealership will get that money once you sign) lower the prices of some cars by thousands before you even begin discussions with a dealer.
While most cars are discounted slightly this summer, thanks to a slow economy keeping auto sales lower than expected, some are discounted much more heavily than others.  Our pricing partners at TrueCar.com have helped us to find the most heavily discounted cars--and there's more variety to the list than we had expected.  There may well be something in your price range.

2009 BMW M6
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BMW M6 -- $12,500 off
BMW has announced the end of production for the 6-Series, and the tuned version put out by the M division goes out with it.  …They're extraordinary cars, powered by a V10 that won the International Engine of the Year award twice -- and they've never been cheaper.

Infiniti launches the 2008 QX56 SUV
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Infiniti QX56 -- $7,000 off
… Rumors have suggested several times in the last year that Infiniti will cancel its huge QX56 SUV soon.  The company has denied the move each time, but it is having a hard time selling the big, ultra-luxury 'ute in today's economy.  …
2010 Chevrolet Impala
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Chevy Impala -- $5,000 off
Though it's a historically great nameplate, the current Chevrolet Impala is simply outshone by most of its large car rivals -- the Ford Taurus takes the prize in that class.  …

2009 Volkswagen Routan comes with college tuition voucher
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Volkswagen Routan --  $5,000 off
Volkswagen isn't known for heavy rebates, but the Routan is a special case.  Essentially a Chrysler Town & Country with a few exterior and interior modifications and a mildly-reworked suspension, the Routan has never really appealed to VW's core audience of buyers looking for upscale European models without BMW price tags.  [DMW note—VW is apealing to the under-30 generation, and more Routan owners are under-30 than any other vehicle except VW’s own Jetta.] In order to sell them, the company …rebates of up to $5,000.   …

2010 Volvo XC70
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Volvo XC70 -- $5,000 off
…  The XC70 has always been an ever-so-slightly raised V70 with all-wheel-drive, and the company plans to continue importing it.  It has all the utility Volvo wagon fans love, and it's a better fit for many families in the snow belt.  Still, Volvo is having trouble selling them next to more attractive XC60s, so the 70 is available at a substantial discount.

The Voice of Reason Regarding a VW Commercial

Image via WikipediaI have commented a number of times about the "Slug-Dub" commercials and the ire they trigger in some people. Some people just spit out their strained peas when they saw people hitting others while a Routan drove by and the theme from "The Andy Griffith Show" played.

Image via WikipediaThe response of some is as if Volkswagen is a vestige of the Third Reich attempting the Fourth Reich by instilling the spirit of fascism in America. For the record, it was Mussolini and the Italians who were Fascists--never mind VW, watch out that Fiat doesn't corrupt America through Chrysler! The Third Reich was the invention of the National Socialists under Hitler. I never meant to bring politics into this, but if you listen to the Tea Party, Obama is trying to nationalize socialism here. How ironic, since the Nazis looked down on those of African descent as much as Little Rock and Montgomery did in the 1950s.

For those who are counting, I apologize that I can't work in Stalin, the Yugo and Bosnia, the Hutus and Tutsis, or General Tojo who supported Mitsubishi and the parent companies of Mazda, Suzuki, and Subaru. I can only offend so many people or car companies at a time.

The real reason for this blog entry is the reaction generated by this Volkswagen Jetta commercial:


Jason S. Harry, professional truck driver/blogger posted When Special Interest "Shoot the Gap" . The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has posted a comment on their Facebook page taking umbrage to this commercial and allowing others to vent their spleen. Jason takes a very reasoned view of the VW vs Safety vs Professional Drivers vs OOIDA issue, and comes to the conclusion that the majority of viewers would not assume that VW was instructing people to drive dangerously. Unfortunately, the majority of commenters seem to want to send a blitzkrieg against Wolfsburg (ironic because blitzkrieg was a German-named tactic and the advertizing agency is based in New York and Los Angeles) for having the audacity to show something that 1% of all drivers have never thought of doing and how the vilified professional driver will get the blame.

Jason makes some very good comments about the responses OOIDA receives. I'm sure he's indicating that the majority of professional drivers are not as knee-jerk as the commenters, just as the majority of Jetta (or any other 4-wheeler) drivers are not so brain dead as to pull a stunt to deliberately put 3 vehicles and their occupants in peril.

It occurs to me that the highways would be a safer place if we could put all the knee-jerkers and brain dead 4-wheelers in one room (the Superdome would be adequate, I think) so that they could act out their own nationally socialistic fascism upon the each other. The winner gets to clean up the mess.

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Kelley Blue Book Review

Volkswagen Vans - Different Options To Choose From

Volkswagen Vans offers three different vans options to choice from. They all have style and great performance as rated by the customers that have purchased them.

kokobware.net

Volkswagen EuroVan

Image via WikipediaFrom 1993 to 2003 Volkswagen manufactured the Eurovan. Earlier versions has a low power engine but thee Volkswagen Vans changed it because of customer demand. All models came stand with air conditioning, power windows, and power door locks. They also had driver and passenger side airbags. This can be found at dealerships that sell used vehicles or from individual owners. Overall customers who purchased this van have loved it especially the later models.

Volkswagen Routan

Image via WikipediaThe first year of making this van was in 2009.  It is a seven passenger van that offers a lot for a busy family. The Routan is built just like the Dodge Caravan and the Town and Country by Chrysler. Actually the are all made at the same plant in Canada. This van has a European feel to it. It is still very stylish and full of features. This van has room for seven passengers and all their stuff. The Volkswagen Vans Routan has thirteen cup holders, this alone can almost decide if you may want to purchase this van. Plus there is a third row fold in the floor seat. Additionally included in all models are rear and front 12V power outlets for all your gadgets charging needs.

Volkswagen Vanagon

Image via WikipediaThis van was manufactured from 1988 to 1991. There were several versions to choose from during that time span. You had  the standard Vanagon, Vanagon GL, GL Camper, Carat,  Multivan, and finally the Wolfsburg Limited Edition. They all came with a 2.1 liter engine. These vans were considered the ultimate family vehicles with carpeting , air conditioning, front bucket seats, and a padded instrument panel. Most owners of these vehicles are in love with them. They are no manufactured any longer but can be found at used car dealers or purchased from previous owners.

No matter what you are looking for Volkswagen Vans has designed a van that can fit the needs of your family. Compare the models side by side. New or used you will not be disappointed by either vehicle.

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Baby This and That

A Creative Leak

Katie asked in the comments somewhere when I'm due, …
I'm due around Nov 3. If you ask me in person I'll say around Halloween. And the oldest daughter around here has a birthday the day before Halloween. So she's concerned.
What if I'm in the hospital on her birthday? Who will make her a cake? What about having a birthday party? All the attention is going to be on the baby and not on her birthday. Yes, she's said it. I cringe - but at the same time I applaud her honesty.
Cakes out of the freezer taste delicious. I'm sure she'll get a fabulous birthday cake. I've tried to assure her that she'll always be special and we won't forget her birthday. …
Maybe when the time comes, she'll change her tune a little. Maybe that depends on how close their birthdays are.
Moving on... someone took my picture the other day. I usually move out of range when the camera comes out. …
And in other preparations for Baby... we bought a minivan. A Volkswagen Routan. It's nice. It's comfortable. The kids like having more space than they had in the CRV. They still load up their more space with Stuff.

Driving it feels kind of like driving the Pilot. … One nice thing is the doors stay locked until the driver opens his/her door. One thing that bothers me a little is that the radio stays on until the driver opens his/her door. It's the little things in life I guess.

Here they make the VW symbol with their fingers. Some with more dexterity than others.
Posted by joanna at 5:13 AM

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Routan YTD August, 2010 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 August and YTD sales figures of the auto-makers who sell in the U.S. From these reports, we glean the following data:

Brand YTD - 08/10
Chrysler   78,492
Dodge      66,897
Honda      71,584
Kia        15,511
Mazda      11,756
Nissan        173 (discontinued)
Toyota     62,211
Volkswagen 11,333


Total     317,788



Volkswagen's market share of van sales is 3.57%, up from July and still in the range Volkswagen of America was aiming for. This is, by the way, nearly twice their overall market share.