I went to the Seattle Auto Show on Friday, mainly out of curiosity. Cars
sure are getting expensive. Trucks too! Had a chance to talk to a VW guy,
who was a local sales rep so take it for what it's worth:
VW is not importing the EV in '98, but they are going to release both a
passenger and a camper version in '99. No word on specs yet.

Oh, and the AWD Passat with VR6 Turbo should be in by early '98. The
regular Passat looks pretty nice and is priced at $22K.  Much of the engine
weight appears to be forward of the wheels though - not sure how it
actually handles.
Interestingly enough - it appears that the original glass-paneled roof of
the Concept 1 is on the Passat. It's got that smooth curve to it.

That new Volvo coupe looks pretty nice too.

The new Mercedes SUV was mobbed. Could barely get close enough to see what
it looked like. Did look underneath though - very unusual. They use
ABS/Traction Control to drive $36K base retail.
There's a wait list for them around here.

Most ridiculous car of the show: a tossup between the Dodge Copperhead and
the Pontiac 'Rageous. The former looks like a crash-tested race car; the
latter looks like a sister of the Batmobile.

-rick

Rick Gordon
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
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rickgo@halcyon.com
http://www.halcyon.com/rickgo/
KC7QEG
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