VW: 2009 Minivan Reveal in Summer '07; Hits Showrooms in Q3 2008
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Keith Price -- Public Relations Manager for Products & Technology at Volkswagen -- and he imparted some new details about VW's upcoming 2009 minivan, which will be based on the 2008 Dodge/Chrysler minivan platform.
VW has already announced that their minivan will be manufactured at existing Chrysler minivan plants (likely in Windsor, Ontario and St. Louis, Missouri), but Price stresses that VW will go to great lengths to set their minivan apart from its sister vehicles.
"The VW minivan will be strongly differentiated by design, both interior and exterior," says Price. "We'll also adjust the ride, handling and suspension tuning of the vehicle to fit our needs." Price stressed that VW will do all they can -- within the constraints of being on the Dodge/Chrysler minivan platform -- to set their vehicle apart from other minivans on the market as well.
Price mentioned that young families and empty nesters could be key consumer demographics for the new vehicle, as well as younger drivers attracted to VW's traditionally unique design aesthetic. While there has been some speculation among the VW faithful that this new minivan heralds the return of the legendary VW Microbus, Price says that the new minivan will stand on its own. "This vehicle is not the new Microbus," Price says. "It will be a unique vehicle with its own merits."
Price indicated that some concept sketches of the vehicle would likely be unveiled in the summer of 2007, possibly to coincide with a press event designed to emphasize the unique design direction VW is taking with the vehicle. Next up would be the unveiling of a "99% production ready" concept vehicle at either the LA Auto Show or the Detroit Auto Show, in November 2007 and January 2008, respectively. Price adds that the minivan would hit dealer showrooms sometime in the September 2008 timeframe as a 2009 model.
Other details:
- Diesel is Dead: While VW has obvious strengths in the development of diesel vehicles, it looks like the VW minivan -- at least at launch -- won't have a diesel engine option. VW is limited by the underlying hardware platform of the '08 Dodge/Chrysler minivans, but that doesn't rule out the addition of a diesel variant a few years down the road.
- Swivel 'n Go a No-Go: Some news reports have indicated that the Swivel' n Go feature found in the 2008 Dodge and Chrysler vans won't be offered in the VW van, as Chrysler wants to keep the feature exclusive to their products for the near future. That said, VW will likely have something else up it's sleeve on the interior design front. "Who says we might not be working on unique interior configurations of our own?", says Price.