Date:         Thu, 20 May 2004 16:21:42 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: microbus is dead NVC
In-Reply-To:  <BAY18-F58zwxd9X4QVJ000255e5@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> Just read online in a German magazine that VW boss pulled the
> plug on the microbus. Instead they will develop something on the
> T5 base. The retro look just doesn't sell in Europe, and the US
> market is not enough to warrant another retro model.


Their spin on it, according to the AutoWeek article linked below, is
that they're not pulling the plug but just delaying it in order to
redesign it on the T5 platform. The article says that they still plan to
sell the redesigned version in the U.S. in 2007, apparantly badged as a
Microbus. This may be good news if it really results in a much lower
price. I'd rather see an affordable VW van in the States again than a
failed, overpriced retro attempt.

A lot will depend on how strong the Dollar is by 2007. I think this is
what VW is waiting to see as well. As I recall, VW had expected the New
Microbus to be around $45k based on the dollar's value a year or two
ago. Now the dollar is even more worthless than it was then. I'll bet
that if they had continued with their existing plans they'd have had a
$50-$60k van on their hands. I sure wouldn't have bought one for that
kind of money.

<http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&
loc_code=index&content_code=09674775>

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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