Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 23:47:36 +1000
Reply-To: Simon Glen <simonglen@BIGPOND.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Simon Glen <simonglen@BIGPOND.COM>
Subject: Re: Mexico/Vanagon report-Guadalajara/Puerto Vallarta
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Dear Zach,
Yes, the Santana name was used in Europe in 1984 for the first year of production
of the Passat II with a boot (trunk) but for the remaining model years of second
generation Passat (Quantum in USA) production the name Santana was dropped, never
to be used again in Europe. However, when the this Passat II with a boot (trunk)
was introduced in South Africa in 1984 the Sanatana name was not used.
Then when Nissan started making the Passat II in Japan in 1984 they used the
Santana name but this arrangement for Nissan to build VWs in Japan came to an end
in 1989. However, when production of the Passat II began in China late in 1983 the
Santana name was used and still is to this day where Passat II cars with a boot (or
trunk) continue to roll off the Shanghai production line. And, of course, the
Santana name is still used in Brazil for a modified version of the Passat II with a
boot.
I don't believe the Ford/Volkswagen "Autolatina" marriage in Brazil had anything to
do with the current joint Ford/VW venture to build VW Sharans, Ford Galaxies and
SEAT Alhambras in Portugal.
In 1988 Volkswagen signed an agreement with Toyota to build Toyota Hi-Lux pick-ups
in Germany. Initially these were produced at Hanover (where German-built Vanagons
were made) but from 1995 came out of the Emden plant. Most of these VW-assembled
Toyotas have VW badges and have been marketed by Volkswagen as the VW "Taro" while
some have Toyota badges and sold through Toyota dealers in Europe. (Thus VW has
been assembling Toyotas!) However, all VW Taro pick-ups with four-wheel-drive have
been made at Toyota's factory at Tahara in Japan and have come off the production
line there with Volkswagen badges!
Of course, there are other small pick-ups with Volkswagen badges to be seen. The
US-derived Rabbit-based (Golf I) pick-up was assembled in Sarajevo in the then
Yugoslavia and sold throughout Europe as the VW Golf Caddy and it is still to this
day manufactured in South Africa under that name. Currently in Europe there is
another totally different VW Caddy pick-up on sale. This is made in the VW-owned
Skoda factory at Kvasny in the Czech Republic and is in fact merely a re-badged
Skoda Felicia pick-up (and, despite the name Caddy, is totally different from the
Spanish SEAT-built VW Caddy van). Finally, in Brazil they make their own little
pick-up version of the VW Gol/Parati which is sold in Brazil as the VW Saviero and
exported to Argentina as the VW Gol Pick-up and to Mexico as the VW Pointer
pick-up.
My book was published in September 1999 in England and is called "Volkswagens of
the World" and more details of the above information are in it. It is available
from Amazon.com and elsewhere. For publisher's details of this book see: <
www.veloce.co.uk/vwworld.htm >
Regards and Happy VW motoring,
Simon Glen, Toowoomba, Australia
1992 VW T3 Transporter Syncro van
1969 VW 411
Zach Kaplan wrote:
> Simon,
>
> Thank you for the informative reply. I thought the Santana name had also
> been used on the 4-door sedan version of the second generation Passat in
> Europe, at least in the UK.
>
> I wonder if the joint venture between Ford and VW Brazil had any relation to
> the joint venture with Ford and VW in Europe doing the Ford Galaxy (sp?) and
> VW Sharon.
>
> Since you seem to know a lot about all the worldwide models of VWs can you
> explain the VW pickups I saw in Germany in 1999 which looked just like
> Toyota pickups with VW badges?
>
> I understand you wrote a book. What is the title and where can one obtain
> it?
>
> Zach Kaplan
>
> on 2001/1/09 16:12, Simon Glen at simonglen@bigpond.com wrote:
>
> > Dear Zach,
> >
> > Yes, you are correct. The VW Fox which was sold in USA from 1987 to 1994 as a
> > 2-door and 4-door sedan and a 2-door wagon was fully imported from Brazil. It
> > was merely a re-badged first generation Brazilian VW Voyage (sedan) and VW
> > Parati (wagon). This same model was also marketed in Argentina as the VW
> > Gacel
> > and the VW Senda and in other parts of latin America and the West Indies as
> > the
> > VW Amazon.
> >
> > (VW have a bad habit using different model names in different markets and even
> > giving different models the same name in different markets. Thus, the name
> > "Fox" has been used for the Audi 80 in USA and Australia as well as for the VW
> > Voyage/Parati in USA. Likewise, the second generation Passat was sold as the
> > VW "Quantum" in USA, the VW "Santana" in Japan, China and Brazil, the VW
> > "Carat" in Argentina and as the VW "Cosar" in Mexico but merely as the VW
> > "Passat" in much of the rest of the world.)
> >
> > In September 1994 a second generation of the Brazilian Gol/Parati/Saviero cars
> > was introduced. This was a completely re-designed range, not just a
> > face-lifted version. This second generation has not been sold in the USA and
> > is now sold in Mexico as the VW "Pointer".
> >
> > However, if you go to Brazil and see a car with VW "Pointer" labels on it,
> > this
> > car has nothing to do with the Gol/Parati/Saviero range. The Brazilian VW
> > Pointer is no longer in production. It was the product of an ill-conceived
> > union in 1987 between Ford and VW in Brazil to form a company called
> > Autolatina
> > Brasil SA. There was a divorce at the end of 1995 and Ford and VW went their
> > separate ways. The Brazilian VW Pointer was a progeny of this marriage and
> > was, in fact, a Ford Escort made in VW factory with a VW engine and VW badges.
> > At the time and as an additional product of this bad marriage, the Brazilian
> > VW
> > Santana (Passat II in Europe and Quantum in USA) was also marketed in Brazil
> > as
> > the Ford Versailles !!!!!
> >
> > So, you can see how confusing Volkswagen's model naming can be.
> >
> > Regards and happy VW motoring,
> >
> > Simon Glen, Toowoomba, Australia
> > 1992 VW T3 Transporter Syncro van
> > 1969 VW 411
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