RE: European diesel fuel, it is known usually 'low sulphur - is yours marked
similarly at the pumps?

Clive

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Perdue" <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 5:38 PM
Subject: Re: New generation of vw busses (T5 photos)

> I think I'd have to respectfully disagree on this one.  With regard to the
> multiple offerings, it won't do any good in the commercial van segment
here
> in the U.S.  Chevy, Ford and GMC have that market pretty much locked up
and
> Ford and Chevy buyers in particular are extremely loyal.  Add to that the
> fact that Chevy and Ford vans are more reliable, or at least more readily
> serviceable and the parts are cheaper, and I don't think you'll see VW
> making any headway on this front.
>
> With regards to the "soccer-mom" segment, the T5 in those pictures, if in
> fact that is going to be the new T5, looks very much like a Eurovan.  The
> Eurovan already has shown its inability to make any headway in that market
> segment.  Vanagons and microbusses, on the other hand, appear to have sold
> very well in the U.S. in the past.  So, what gave the Caravan the edge in
> this market?  It drives more like a car, has lots of consumer conveniences
> (cupholders), is readily accessible for carrying all those little soccer
> players and girl scouts, and is cheaper.  I personally think that VW has
to
> pull a "New Beetle" move on the T5 and make the T5 a radical departure
from
> the Eurovan in order to get everyone's attention and make them even
consider
> making a move away from the current breed of people movers and stuff
> carriers.  The price will have to come down, reliability will have to go
up,
> carrying capacity will have to compete at the same level as the Odyssey
and
> Caravan, accoutrements will have to be on a level with those in American
and
> Japanese vans, ride will have to improve, and its look will have to be a
> radical departure from its current commercial/industrial look to something
> more cool and distinctive, like the New Beetle or the Passat.  You need to
> keep in mind that the people buying all those minivans ARE former hippies
> and the retro look is, in so many new products, highly appealing to them.
>
> Regarding diesel in this country:  I don't know anything about this, but I
> seem to recall a discussion on-line somewhere where somebody pointed out
> that the diesel fuel in the U.S. is not as free of impurities as it is in
> Europe and that this causes problems with VW's diesel designs here in the
> U.S.  Is there any truth and/or validity to this?
>
> Just a few personal observations and opinions.  All opinions, dissenting
or
> otherwise, welcome . . .
> Marc Perdue
>
> "G.M.Bulley" wrote:
>
> > VW is tuned in to the "mass market" channel again... I think it is
> > smart.
> >
> > This van will get a VW van into LOTS of people's hands that wouldn't buy
> > any retro-hippy-van Bus redeux.  It is attractive to exactly the market
> > segment that typically buys vans, and the multiple offerings (the truck,
> > window van, etc.) is brilliant. This could be a florist van, a Guido
> > van, a soccer-mom van, nearly anything that current US vans do.
> >
> > Though it isn't the Microbus, it builds market share for a product
> > segment in which VW currently has zero presence; seriously, who the h*ll
> > has a Vanagon or a Eurovan compared to an Astro, Aerostar, ChevyVan,
> > etc.? Once VW has that market share, they can more credibly intro the
> > retro van because people trust their products in that segment. Same
> > thing they did with the Jetta/Golf during the 1980's/90's, then the
> > Beetle was a natural, and the mass market flocked because they trusted
> > VW's build of small mid-market modern cars.
> >
> > For those diesel-heads in the crowd (count me), this platform *could*
> > make it possible to see the wider range of TDI motors here in the USA in
> > the Passat, Golf, Jetta, or Bettle. Since they would have to train the
> > dealer mechanics, and the parts would have to come over to service the
> > Van, the whole bevy of TDI options could appear stateside. That'd be
> > cool.
> >
> > Bringing ideas to life,
> > G. Matthew Bulley
> > Bulley-Hewlett
> > www.bulley-hewlett.com
> > AIM = IExplain4u
> > +1.919.658.1278
> > "Fax mentis incendium gloria culpum"
> >
> >