Date:         Mon, 04 Mar 96 07:38:46 CST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: I heard a 'nasty' rumor!

On Mon, 4 Mar 1996 06:02:06 -0600 <RGOLEN@umassd.edu> said:
>apparant that the US is no longer VW's major van (or hell...car for that
>matter) market. The T4 is the number one selling van of its type in Europe.

very true. the japanese autos have really cut into the sales of vw products
in the u.s. ... in my not-so-humble opinion, because of the dealers that vw
allowed to take over the product (and those dealers' attitudes toward the
customer and toward service of the cars ... i.e., the mechanics don't get
trained on the new (or old!) models).

>rpm...useless for a van-type vehicle.

we all have to remember that our beloved buses are first and foremost designed
as a TRUCK. period. the seats and other goodies are thrown in later to help
sell the things to folks other than the butcher, the baker, and candle-stick
maker. but it always was and is and always will be a TRUCK.

>net return on sales. In addition, German automakers now have the the
>distinction of having the highest paid assembly line workers in the world

which is why BMW built an auto plant in south carolina and Mercedes is
building an auto plant in alabama (well, that AND the 300 million dollars
that a fool of a governor GAVE them! :)

>Given the fact that VW is having financial difficulty, does retooling a
>plant to re-make an obsolete model make sense to you? Especially since VW

no, but since we are all just speculating and day-dreaming, they might ship
South African buses over here. :)  and frogs might grow wings ...

>on the drawing boards. The vanagon was dropped because it was (as all rear
>engined mainstream vehicles) too expensive to produce. For example it now

no, not so fast, bailiff-breath!  the vanagon was REPLACED, as was the T2
bread-loaf at vw's normal 12-year cycle for the vans ... and i expect that
in 2003 or so, the T4 Eurovan will be replaced with something. unless, of
course, it just HAPPENS to take 12 years each time for the bus/van to become
"too expensive to produce". :)

>The Vanagon was also dropped because of its "wasser-boxer". Even by VWs own
>admission, the Wasserboxer was an intermediate engine. It bought VW time so
>it could design a PROPER watercooled product, get the public used to a
>watercooled van (VW did that with the Passat/Dasher in its passenger cars),

right. you bet. so lemme see here now ... vw introduced the golf in 1976 and
it took them until 1983 to put a water-cooled engine in the bus and since it
was only "intermediate", they left it in there until 1990 (sounds kinda like
the u.s. government's "temporary" taxes!) at which time they could design a
"proper" water-cooled engine cause they didn't design one for the golf/etc.

sounds like you are leading the witness, counselor. :) if you read carefully
the rantings of the vw press, you'll find that the T4 Eurovan arrangement was
considered as a replacement for the breadloaf back in about 1977-78 or so
and for reasons best known to the Inner Sanctum of VW was rejected at that
time.

besides, what difference does it make? the vanagon is here, as is the
Microbus and the Bus, and the Eurovan. all the same, and all different.
and each has its own little group of devotees and fanatics ... which is as
it should be. :)

joel