Hot minivans drive Christmas bonus in Windsor

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | 10:41 AM ET

CBC News

Chrysler has asked workers at the Windsor assembly plant, shown here in 2008, to work through their usual Christmas shutdown this year to meet high demand for the Dodge Grand Caravan. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)
High demand for minivans may make for a merrier Christmas in Windsor, Ont., this year.
Chrysler has announced it wants to keep production of its minivans moving right through the Christmas period.

'It should be a little bit of a boost to the economy of Windsor at a time obviously I would suggest we critically need a boost in our economy.'— Rick Laporte, CAW Local 444

Image via WikipediaNormally, there is a one-week shutdown at the Windsor assembly plant, which produces the Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country and Volkswagen Routan.

Chrysler said it is anticipating high demand for its redesigned minivans.

Holiday pay plus double time

The company plans to run 12-hour days the week of Dec. 27, and the union doubts Chrysler will have trouble finding workers ready to cover the shifts.
"Those workers would be paid their holiday pay plus double time for being at work," said Rick Laporte, president of CAW Local 444, which represents the workers.
Laporte said the extra work is good news for all of Windsor.
"I would suggest to you it means more Christmas presents under the tree, more money spent in our economy, and it should be a little bit of a boost to the economy of Windsor at a time obviously I would suggest we critically need a boost in our economy."
Chrysler will start production of its new model minivans at the Windsor assembly plant later this fall.
It already has plans to build an additional 60,000 of the vehicles to meet expected demand.

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Five Popular German-Made Cars

Travel and Explore Germany

When you think German, you think quality, and that's what we all want from our next car. German cars comes in all shapes, sizes and price tags, with some of the top selling models on the market to meet and exceed most budgets. If you want some of that German engineering parked in your own driveway, try one of these top picks for German handling and stability.
1. Porsche 911
In the popularity stakes, the Porsche 911 has to come in at first. This beautiful beast of a car is made by the Volkswagen group. Debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, it has evolved over the years, often being modified with various porche parts by competition teams and since has won numerous world champion sports car races. In Germany, the 911 is a top seller, outdoing the Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne.
2. VW Jetta
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe second place winner also comes from the Volkswagen company with their tried and true Jetta, available in four or six cylinder models. Choose from a Jetta body type in sedan or wagon style for snappy German engineering to suits most budgets. A unique feature in the four cylinder Volkswagon cars in the added horsepower with a 2.5 liter engine. They have near the power of a six cylinder, yet get the fuel economy closer to a four cylinder, situated just right somewhere in the middle engine ground.
3. Audi A3T 2.0 Premium
The A3T 2.0 Premium is mid-sized and affordable luxury from the experts at Audi, offering a spacious hatchback A3T model with plenty of room for luggage, groceries and sporting equipment. This four cylinder engine gets great gas mileage and has earned itself a five-star consumer rating for handling and dependability.
4.Image via Wikipedia VW Routan
When only a passenger van will do, VW offers a roomy and elegant way to travel with the newly developed Routan. The 3.7 liter V6 engine cranks up plenty of power, and the interior styling and ambience has come a long way from the classic VW Bus. Priced competitively with a Toyota Sienna, the Routan is German excellenceat the price you want to pay.

Image by Michi1308 via Flickr5.BMW 135 i
Quality assurance is a done deal with any make and model from BMW. Low on maintenance and high on road performance, BMW's bottom priced vehicle has no shortage with German excellence and trendy styling, including striking automotive backlit buttons and fascias. The sporty 135i coup comes equipped with a hefty 3.0 liter engine and standard features that exceed most of its competition. Not too cheap, yet affordable if you want it, the BMW 135i is an investment into roadside safety and award-winning looks.

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Our Cars: 2010 Volkswagen Routan - Fully Loaded Braking Blues

Motor Trend Magazine

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As far as First World problems go, moving is pretty high up in the standings. One of few that rank higher is helping someone else move, which has the pitfalls of moving all of your stuff plus the downside of not having a new place to live in afterwards. Aside from generally being a huge pain, moving also requires a suitable vehicle.  Usually a pickup or rented moving van, depending on distance and amount of stuff necessary. I split the difference, opting to use our long-term 2010 Volkswagen Routan since he doesn't own any large furniture.

CLICK TO VIEW GALLERY
He may not own any furniture, but he does own entirely too many clothes, as is evidenced by the filled-to-the-brim minivan you see here. Somewhere behind that pile is a twin-size mattress and nearly a dozen trash bags filled with clothes. Thankfully, the flat-bottomed Routan had enough space for everything, though some creative packing was necessary.
The downside of the Routan in heavy-laden situations is its brakes. Like the mechanically identical Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, the Routan is underbraked. Unladen, it needs 136 feet to stop from 60 mph and it does not inspire confidence as it decelerates. Loaded up, it gets considerably worse. On the plus side, the 4.0-liter V-6 didn't have any problems moving the now two-and-a-half-plus ton van along.
Is the Routan the best choice possible for a moving van? Probably not, but its an adequate and stylish one. Now to find some superglue to reattach bottom of the driver-side A/C vent to the dash...

VW ROUTAN Dora And Boots

Future products: U.S. model is VW's big news

Autoweek

By DIANA T. KURYLKO, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS


The redesigned Touareg SUV goes on sale in November. A diesel engine will be available.
An ambitious plan to increase Volkswagen brand sales in the United States to 800,000 by 2018--up from 213,454 last year--begins with a mid-sized sedan to be built starting early next year in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Later, the new factory will add the Polo small car or a mid-sized SUV--possibly both.
Here is a rundown of VW's product plans through 2013.
E-Up!: An electric-powered version of the Up! minicar will be sold in the United States in 2013. The Up! family--which consists of a hatchback, minivan and sedan--goes on sale in Europe in 2011. The U.S.-bound electric version is expected to be the minivan….
New Beetle: The small car, built in Puebla, Mexico, will be restyled and re-engineered next year. VW is addressing its shortcomings, such as limited interior room. A convertible will debut in 2012, and a hybrid is likely.
Jetta: A redesigned version of the Mexico-built sedan goes on sale this fall. VW has made the Jetta bigger and lowered the price so it competes directly with the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. A hybrid is expected in 2012.
…
Mid-sized sedan: Sales of the Chattanooga-built four-door sedan will begin in the spring at a starting price of about $20,000. VW wants the new mid-sized sedan to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The front-drive car will be larger than the CC and Passat sedans and will share 30 to 40 percent of its parts with the redesigned Jetta.
CC: The coupe-styled four-door sedan based on the Passat will be freshened in 2011.
Passat: The Passat has been dropped in the United States because, VW executives say, the German import is smaller, yet more expensive, than the new mid-sized sedan.
Phaeton: The new-generation Phaeton, which shares a platform with the Bentley Continental GT coupe and Flying Spur sedan, debuts this year in Europe and China. VW executives promise a return of a premium sedan to the United States, though at a considerably lower price than the $65,000-plus vehicle that was yanked off the market in 2006.
Eos: The hardtop convertible will be freshened in 2011. …
Tiguan: The compact crossover will be redesigned in 2012. A longer, seven-seat version may be added.
Touareg: The redesigned SUV goes on sale in November with both V6 gasoline and diesel engines. The 3.0-liter V6 gasoline hybrid goes on sale at year end. VW says the hybrid's fuel economy is about 40 percent better than that of the gasoline SUV. The Touareg continues to share its platform with the Porsche Cayenne.
Routan: The 2-year-old minivan will be freshened late this year. The Routan is a rebadged Chrysler Town & Country--only the body panels and interior trim are different--and is assembled by Chrysler Group.
The changes likely will mimic those of the Town & Country, which is getting a new Pentastar V6 engine and a new front end to comply with European pedestrian safety requirements. The interior also will be altered.

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Which Vehicle Classes Are Strongest Sellers in CPO Market?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By Joe Overby, Staff Writer
September 17, 2010
BANDON, Ore. — While each market performs somewhat differently, some certified pre-owned vehicle categories tend to be hot sellers, whereas others are perhaps not so popular.
So what has Art Spinella, of CNW Research, discovered? He found that near-luxury, luxury and hybrid CPO models have been healthy as of late, while smaller, budget cars have been the slowest to move.
That said, CPO trends do vary on a regional basis, he pointed out. …
And, of course, different automakers are seeing somewhat varying trends within their own certified operations, though some similarities exist.  
Toyota, for one, has certainly experience segmentation in its CPO figures, said Jason Cropper, who is the Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Operations manager.
Specifically, Cropper said the Camry has been continuing its dominance in CPO sales, actually increasing its share from a year ago.
The automaker is also seeing the small SUV segment grow stronger, as well.
…"Similar to what the industry is seeing on the new-vehicle side of the business, we also see increased volume in the small SUV segment, which for us is the RAV4," he added. "RAV4 as a percentage of our total TCUV volume was up to 8 percent, while other SUVs and light trucks actually contracted as a percentage of our total TCUV volume."
As far as the reasons for why some vehicles sell better than others, Cropper pointed to consumer demand and the effect of the changing dynamics the new-vehicle market is having on inventory on the certified side. …
Offering the perspective of Volkswagen, Rob Martin, CPO manager for VW sales operations, explained: "We continue to see strength in the Jetta and Passat, but we are also seeing the start of our newer model vehicles entering the CPO fleet, including Tiguan and Routan.
"This is encouraging and by having vehicles to sell in other segments, the Volkswagen brand hopes to continue our growth in market share," Martin continued. …

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Minivan Ratings | Minivan vs SUV | Best Minivan Deals

Monthly Car Lease

Minivan vs SUV

By the time my oldest child entered high school, my wife and I had really grown tired of driving a minivan around town. We had just assumed that we had outgrown Minivans. We stopped buying them after trading in the 2000 model Chevrolet Venture in 2007. … We seemed too old for it.

I believe that a great deal of us feel this way as we get into our late 30s or 40s and are no longer lugging strollers, walkers, bikes, carriers and toddler toys wherever we go. So, while the feeling is mutual, is the disdain for minivans rational from a practical standpoint? The next logical progression for a parent who has seeming outgrown minivans is of course, the SUV. While I loved the Hyundai Veracruz SUV that we leased for two years, I had a hard time justifying the extra cost of the all-wheel drive and diminished gas mileage. What I do miss, however, is the extra cargo and passenger space the Veracruz provided.

Passenger and cargo room are certainly things you get from a minivan and they are great on vacations. Now that the kids are grown, perhaps you enjoy road trips and are realizing how convenient it would be to have two automatic sliding doors for easily lifting your cooler and luggage items in and out of your vehicle? Or, perhaps you'd like to throw a bike in back and still have room for the dog? The truth of the matter is that there is pretty much nothing an SUV can do that a Minivan cannot do.

… It really amazes me how many people will pay good money for an SUV with front wheel drive only. There is definitely some psychological materialism involved in the decision to buy a vehicle that looks like an SUV, but is more expensive and less practical than a Minivan. So, with the high popularity of SUVs, you might expect to find better leasing and financing offers for them. This is not the case.

Best Minivan Deals

Minivans have gotten better. Dual sliding doors are practically standard on most models and the seats are designed in such a way they either fold down into the floor board or cleverly flat in such a way you can turn them into great cargo haulers. Also, most of them produce good power and reasonable gas mileage.

I was happy to see that Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Mazda and Volkswagen ALL have attractive offers on their Minivan models, whether it's a Lease or a Low-Interest Loan. Chrysler, for example has 60 month 0% APR / 72 month 1.9% APR specials on the popular Town and Country. Nothing, however, beats the 2010 Volkswagen Routan which can be purchased at 0% APR, Nothing Down for up to 72 Months. That is a sensational value. The VW Routan is a actually designed by Chrysler, then modified by VW to give it a sleeker appearance and sportier, more euro-like handling on the road. I think it looks pretty cool. Who says a Mini-Van cannot be sexy?

The oddball of the bunch is probably the Mazda 5 which is really more of a compact minivan with smaller engine and seating capacity. All Minivans seat 7 or 8 passengers, but the Mazda 5 only seats 6.

I have sorted out the best lease specials and 0% or low APR finance offers and listed them below in order from 1 - 6. These ratings are based on the return in value for the monthly payment. Leasing the Toyota or Honda certainly offers the lower payment, but there is no equity at the end of the term. As we mentioned in prior Lease vs Buy Car articles,  it's hard to beat a 0% or 1.9% 60/72 Month Finance Deal. So, before you make up your mind on a Minivan vs SUV, consider these 6 Special Purchase and Leasing Offers below.

Minivan Ratings

Mini Van                  Term  Payment
1 2010 Volkswagen Routan S 
                            72   $368.00   Buy at 0% for 72 Months (Good for all Models)
2 2010 Chrysler Town & Country

                                60   $422.00
Buy at 0% APR for 60 or 1.9% for 72 Months

    3 2010 Honda Odyssey LX

                                36   $249.00
36 Month Lease with $1999 Down


4 2011 Toyota Sienna LE 8 Passenger
                                36     $279
36 Month Lease with $2999 Down

5 2010 Kia Sedona LX 7 Passenger
                                60   $455.00
Buy at 2.9% APR for 60 Months


6 2010 Mazda 5 Sport Automatic
                                36   $299.00
36 Month Lease with $2894 Down