FWIW, in the paper today 12/2/01 http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/business/docs/mexicovw.htm Dave Richoux 83.5 Westy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- End of a long, strange trip for VW bus in Mexico BY MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY -- The era of peace and love really is over: The Volkswagen van that took a generation on long, strange trips is going out of production in Mexico at year's end. Sales are scheduled to halt at the end of December. And in Brazil, the only other place where the boxy VW bus is still being made, union officials say they suspect Volkswagen is planning to end production soon as part of cost-cutting measures. The van, known in Latin America as the Combi, was introduced in 1950. Distinctive because of its air-cooled, rear-mounted engine, the van was last offered in 1982 in the United States as the Transporter. It is being replaced in the VW lineup by the Eurovan, a more modern vehicle with a water-cooled front engine. The demise of the old bus has saddened a lot of old hippies here, as Volkswagen conceded with full-page ads in Mexican newspapers that read Adios, Combi above a picture of a teary-eyed, aging flower-child in a tie-dye shirt. ``I think it's gonna be a big surprise for Volkswagen fans that they were still making them down there,'' said Ryan Price, editor of the magazine VW Trends. ``In the same sentence, I think there will be some remorse. ``It's the end of an era. It came to symbolize a certain sense of freedom, as if they could go anywhere.'' Volkswagen said in a statement that the Eurovan would ``offer the modernity, new technology and space that current customers demand.'' The famous Volkswagen sedan -- the original Beetle, or ``Bug'' -- will continue to be produced at VW's Mexico plant. Green-painted Beetle taxis are as common in Mexico City as black cabs in Britain. |
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