Date:         Sat, 30 Nov 2002 12:38:00 -0500
Reply-To:     Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject:      Re: New generation of vw busses (T5 photos)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I think I'd have to respectfully disagree on this one.  With regard to the
multiple offerings, it won't do any good in the commercial van segment here
in the U.S.  Chevy, Ford and GMC have that market pretty much locked up and
Ford and Chevy buyers in particular are extremely loyal.  Add to that the
fact that Chevy and Ford vans are more reliable, or at least more readily
serviceable and the parts are cheaper, and I don't think you'll see VW
making any headway on this front.

With regards to the "soccer-mom" segment, the T5 in those pictures, if in
fact that is going to be the new T5, looks very much like a Eurovan.  The
Eurovan already has shown its inability to make any headway in that market
segment.  Vanagons and microbusses, on the other hand, appear to have sold
very well in the U.S. in the past.  So, what gave the Caravan the edge in
this market?  It drives more like a car, has lots of consumer conveniences
(cupholders), is readily accessible for carrying all those little soccer
players and girl scouts, and is cheaper.  I personally think that VW has to
pull a "New Beetle" move on the T5 and make the T5 a radical departure from
the Eurovan in order to get everyone's attention and make them even consider
making a move away from the current breed of people movers and stuff
carriers.  The price will have to come down, reliability will have to go up,
carrying capacity will have to compete at the same level as the Odyssey and
Caravan, accoutrements will have to be on a level with those in American and
Japanese vans, ride will have to improve, and its look will have to be a
radical departure from its current commercial/industrial look to something
more cool and distinctive, like the New Beetle or the Passat.  You need to
keep in mind that the people buying all those minivans ARE former hippies
and the retro look is, in so many new products, highly appealing to them.

Regarding diesel in this country:  I don't know anything about this, but I
seem to recall a discussion on-line somewhere where somebody pointed out
that the diesel fuel in the U.S. is not as free of impurities as it is in
Europe and that this causes problems with VW's diesel designs here in the
U.S.  Is there any truth and/or validity to this?

Just a few personal observations and opinions.  All opinions, dissenting or
otherwise, welcome . . .
Marc Perdue

"G.M.Bulley" wrote:

> VW is tuned in to the "mass market" channel again... I think it is
> smart.
>
> This van will get a VW van into LOTS of people's hands that wouldn't buy
> any retro-hippy-van Bus redeux.  It is attractive to exactly the market
> segment that typically buys vans, and the multiple offerings (the truck,
> window van, etc.) is brilliant. This could be a florist van, a Guido
> van, a soccer-mom van, nearly anything that current US vans do.
>
> Though it isn't the Microbus, it builds market share for a product
> segment in which VW currently has zero presence; seriously, who the h*ll
> has a Vanagon or a Eurovan compared to an Astro, Aerostar, ChevyVan,
> etc.? Once VW has that market share, they can more credibly intro the
> retro van because people trust their products in that segment. Same
> thing they did with the Jetta/Golf during the 1980's/90's, then the
> Beetle was a natural, and the mass market flocked because they trusted
> VW's build of small mid-market modern cars.
>
> For those diesel-heads in the crowd (count me), this platform *could*
> make it possible to see the wider range of TDI motors here in the USA in
> the Passat, Golf, Jetta, or Bettle. Since they would have to train the
> dealer mechanics, and the parts would have to come over to service the
> Van, the whole bevy of TDI options could appear stateside. That'd be
> cool.
>
> Bringing ideas to life,
> G. Matthew Bulley
> Bulley-Hewlett
> www.bulley-hewlett.com
> AIM = IExplain4u
> +1.919.658.1278
> "Fax mentis incendium gloria culpum"
>
>