I KNOW I am not in the market for them..I think the prototypes are butt
ugly, and with the price tag they will have, I could buy 3 fully restored
bussed of any vintage..........
Adam P
81  Westy "The Brick "
70 Single Cab "Whitey"
74 Beetle "Ol Yeller"
73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop)
1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg
75 Campmobile "for sale'
Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ari Ollikainen" <Ari@OLTECO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 6:21 PM
Subject: [NVC] Re: New Microbus coming 2005.......I'll still keep my 240 hp
SVX Vanagon......but these will be tempting

> At 4:51 PM -0500 6/19/02, Smola, Tony wrote:
> >Here's the link to the LA Times article revealing the plans..........bon
> >appetite.....acete.....
> >
> >Malibu Tony  85' Westy SVX
> >
> >
>
>http://www.latimes.com/classified/autos/highway1/showroom/la-000042834jun19
.
> >story?coll=la%2Dclass%2Dhighway1%2Dshowroom
>
>         Hmmm... John O'dell, the author of the LATimes story is a bit
>         confused, quoting  Pischetsrieder as saying, "... the old
Microbus,
>         discontinued in 1992, was--and continues to be--a cult object
>         in this country..." Or the CEO of VW is confused about the
monikers
>         of his van models...
>
>         Somehow, the idea that VW is going to flood the market with 120K
>         butt-ugly vehicles beginning in 2004 seems, to me, a bit more than
>         over-the-top stupid. Aside from the cult mythology of the original
>         microbus, WHY do they think there'll be a market for the
>         faux-Microbus here?
>
>         Since the LATimes site requires registration, here's the story:
>
> But Will It Come in Day-Glo? VW Microbus
> Returns for 2005
> By John O'Dell
>
> Volkswagen has confirmed what long has been expected: It will
> build a Microbus based on the concept shown 18 months ago at
> the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
>
> The new Microbus will be built in Germany, but about
> two-thirds of the annual production will be sent to the U.S.
>
> Bernd Pischetsrieder, VW's chief executive, said the company
> will concentrate on U.S. sales because the old Microbus,
> discontinued in 1992, was--and continues to be--a cult object in
> this country. Of particular note, VW plans to build more the
> first year than in subsequent years--a reversal of the distressing
> trend in which first-year production of a potentially popular
> vehicle is kept so low that huge waiting lists develop and
> dealers, as well as private speculators, are able to demand
> thousands of dollars above the sticker price.
>
> VW said first-year production of the Microbus, to be launched
> in 2005, will be about 120,000 units, with annual production
> dropping to about 80,000 units after that.
>
> The auto maker launched the Microbus in 1950. Sales peaked at
> 67,000 units in 1970.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>                         Dog is my copilot
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>         OLTECO                    Ari Ollikainen, Consultant
>         P.O. BOX 20088            Networking Architecture & Technology
>         Stanford, CA              Ari@OLTECO.com
>         94309-0088                415.517.3519
>