At 11:35 AM 6/15/01 -0500, Terry Kay wrote:
>So in essence what you are implicating, is that as soon as VW introduces
>the new Micro bus, the Eurovan is going to be dead issue?
>
>I have a real hard time believing that.
>
>And I don't think that there were enough Vanagons sold here, or still is
>enough to jeopardize their current vehicle sales, in offering an engine
>conversion kit.
>
>   ______________
>  |[  ] [  ] [ ]\
>  |    |    |    |
>||-(())----(())-|
>
>
>Terry
>74 Campmobile (Clementine)
>85 GL
>86 BMW 325 ES

Good point.  It looks like the new Micro Bus is aimed at a different
market, however, namely the huge minivan market dominated by Chrysler,
etc.  It has sliding doors on both sides which is likely to limit it, at
best, to weekender-type applications; no campers.  The market response to
retro cars like the Super Beetle and PT Cruiser seems to have taught them
that there is a market for this stuff.  As another writer in this thread
writes later, the EV was never a great seller anyway.  So,  if the Micro
Bus takes off, maybe the EV's days are numbered.  The price reduction which
is supposedly coming would suggest that they have priced themselves out of
the market.  It remains to be seen if that's too little, too late.  Only VW
knows and they aren't talking.  Models do get dumped when they no longer
pay their own way.  Remember the VW Dasher?  Or more recently Oldsmobile
and Plymouth?

By the way, this same discussion took place years ago with respect to the
Beetle which continued to be made in Mexico and Brazil.  It was never
imported into the US so it wouldn't compete with the Rabbit which was
intended to compete with the Japanese imports.

Charles
'85 Westy