Volkswagen to Drop Routan Minivan at End of 2013, According to Report

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but so too did Ford's Edsel, Mercury's LN7, and importation of the Yugo. When Volkswagen presented its Routan-badged, Chrysler-built minivan at the 2008 Chicago auto show, there was talk of as many as 45,000 being happily driven off VW dealer lots each year. In theory, that would have put Routan sales to this point at some 200,000, but the total through February 2013 runs to just 57,650. Now comes word via Automotive News that VW will drop the Routan from the brand's lineup as of this year. Any Routans built for the 2013 model year will be designated for fleet use, mainly by VW. In fact, Chrysler hasn't assembled any Routans in its Windsor, Ontario factory since July 2012. We understand that the agreement between VW and Chrysler's Windsor facility expires at the end of 2013, and VW tells us that a decision regarding the future of that agreement hasn't been determined yet. According to AN, that contract will be allowed to expire, as we speculated late last year. At the New York auto show, Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, told Automotive News, "The segment is contracting in favor of crossovers and SUVs," adding, "If you look at the history of the [minivan] segment, I don't think anybody can deny there's been erosion." AN points out that U.S. minivan sales rose 14 percent last year to 597,118, with Chrysler and Dodge selling 253,212 of those and Honda adding 125,980. VW sold 10,483 Routans during the same period. Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite Comparison Test: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI vs. 2011 Touareg Hybrid Short Take Road Test: 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T Volkswagen has suffered from van envy for years after doing much to establish the segment in the 1950s before falling victim to the infamous 1963 Chicken Tax. VW has teased us mercilessly with very cool Microbus concepts, including the Bulli—an ad featuring Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs doing "Wooly Bully" would have been a natural—but apparently couldn't make the numbers work for U.S. or Mexico production. Now VW is on a new track echoing Browning's comment about crossovers and SUVs, as evidenced by the debut of the CrossBlue concept, the made-for-America three-row crossover. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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