on 2000/10/26 10:08, Joe Romas at jromas@columbus.rr.com wrote: > The reason they don't import "commercial" vehicles is because in the mid to > late fifties, for those not old enough to remember, VW sold countless > numbers of the Transporters because it could carry what ever for very little > money. The auto makers yelled "foul" and the us goverment put a high terrif > on imported complete vehicles sometime in 1962. We were then given the > famous Corvair Greenbriar and the Ford Econoline. They were both total junk, > IMHO. Anyway that's why we don't have good small panel vans. Notice the > small jap diesel trucks come in without bodies and then get bodies put on. > Another tidbit is that the Kenworth delivery truck, not the tractor trailer > type but the kind with the body on the back, were made by VW in Brazil! > > Joe The way I heard it the tariff on imported trucks was in retaliation for a German tax on chicken exports from the US. I've heard it referred to as a 'chicken tax'. Still this tariff must not be all that high or else Toyota and Mitsubishi wouldn't have sold panel vans in the US in the 1980s. I agree about the Corvair and Econoline. In the late 1980s when PACCAR (Kenworth & Peterbilt) started selling medium weight trucks I immediately recognized the VW LT cab from VW of Brazil. The fact those were sold here should make it easier for anyone importing a 1980s to mid-1990s LT van to get replacement front doors, glass and trim pieces. I wonder why PACCAR discontinued them. I checked out the VW Brazil website and they have a full lineup of medium to heavy weight trucks. It is nice seeing the VW emblem on some big trucks. Zach Kaplan |
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