Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 23:03:15 +0200
Reply-To: Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Subject: Re: 99 Ev
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Once again, I would like to comment on a couple of things.....
John Scheckel wrote:
>
> I just got a call from the director of public relations at VW in
> Wolfsburg. It
> was an unusually friendly conversation, during which he told me that a)
> the
> Sharan is made in Portugal, not Spain,
Correct
> b) he had never heard of the Euro
> Van,
Is this guy working for VW??? Ask about the Caravelle, Transporter or T4!!!!
>
> c) it definitely isn't made in Europe,
BS! The Eurovan is made in Hannover, Germany
> d) the American (North & South)
> VWcorporations act completely indepentdently of VW Int'l - including
> product
> design, marketing and often production
Not completely independent, but almost....
> (the Jetta and the Audi A4 are
> made
> over here)
BS again!!!! The Audi A4 is only built in Germany, Audi's only factories
outside Germany is in SA, for the SA/African market, and in Hungary, where
they produce the TT
> - e) even those few things they do make to US specs over here
> can't
> be bought here,
Passat, Eurovan are both being produced in Germany, to US specs, and you can
buy them both in the US!!! If not, why make them to US specs???
> f) anything with US specs is cheaper over there (I know
> this
> is a contradiction to e), but it is exactly what he said) and g) the
> besthe
> could offer in that class is the Sharan or the Opel equivalent which is
> cheaper.
Opel Sintra, or as you US guys know it better, the Chevrolet Venture, the
Oldsmobile Silhouette, or the Pontiac Trans Sport. BTW, neither the Sharan
or the Opel Sintra is available in the US, so this guy must not have known
what you were talking about, or where you are located. BTW2, this is a VW
guy recommending an Opel, a GM product???? Arrrggghh!
> We talked about the possibility of putting a manual
> transmission in the EV,
> and he said that since automatics dominate the American market, he
> doubted
> that the American VW would put in a manual, though he could definitely
> understand preferring a manual (but then, what German wouldn't?).
It shouldn't be a problem getting a manual trans for the VR6, as it is
available in Europe this way. Your problem is talking VWoA into getting you
one.
Sorry for steaming off like this, but statements like the ones from this VW
official just makes me sooo angry.
PerL
88 Syncro
