Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (August 1998, week 3)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Sun, 16 Aug 1998 06:47:26 -0400
Reply-To:     Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Resurrect the Vanagon?  Letter Writing Campaign?
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
In-Reply-To:  <19980816013159.26809.rocketmail@web1.rocketmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

At 06:31 PM 8/15/98 -0700, Marty Wallace wrote: >I think that your point about Ford's decision regarding the Mustang is >very appropriate; Should we all begin a letter writing campaign to VWoA? > VWoA's Customer Relations phone number is 1-800-822-8987. I don't know >the snail-mail address - maybe someone out there can help us out with this.

The reality is that it will never happen, for one important reason. German automotive labor rates are the highest in the world. They get paid approximately 20% more than their US and Japanese counterparts, and get 6 weeks of paid vacation per year. Given the strenght of the German labor unions, the high cost of labor is a fact of life.

In order to counter that VW, as well as the other German mfgs. have had to design their vehicles to be "production efficient". In other words, the vehicles have to be produced with the least number of assembly hours as possible.

According to what I found out on my trip to the Hanover VW plant this past January, it took 60 hours of assembly time to produce the T3 (vanagon), while it takes 43 hours to produce the T4 (eurovan). An example of why the difference in hours...the roof assembly on the T3 once took 4.5 minutes and two people to attach to the body shell, the T4 takes under 1.5 minutes and is done by a robot, no human intervention is needed.

The other reason why you won't see the T3 being resurected is that the T4 is tremendously successful in the European market. In fact, the T4 has already outsold the T3. It seems that the only failure on VWs part is selling the T4 in the US.

Ric


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.