Oye Como Va! After nearly 30-year Chinese run, VW's Quantum Santana to expire in 2012?
Although the Volkswagen Quantum never became the institution in the States that its successor, the Passat has, the second-generation model, known as the Santana in China, once again proved that Volkswagen is indeed the "people's car." And now, after being built domestically through a joint-venture with Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive since 1983, word is that the venerable sedan's time is limited. According to new reports, the Santana will leave VW showrooms in 2012, meaning that the Santana will have enjoyed a model run of 29 years in China.
Oh, along the way, the car has received a number of updates (a 1986 China-built model is shown) including an enlarged engine with electronic fuel injection, a fifth speed for the manual gearbox, ABS, etc. – but in its bones, the Santana is still very much the same car that plied American roads back at the turn-of-the-Eighties. Despite China's rapidly evolving market, the elderly VW still all but rules many of the nation's roads, particularly in Shanghai, where livery versions of the Santana rival New York's Ford Crown Victoria for ubiquity.
According to TradingMarkets, fully 3.21 million Santanas have been built in China, with 2009's sales already totalling 56,012 units through April.
[Source: TradingMarkets]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PumaGTO 7:21PM (5/18/2009)
here in Brazil it was sold until 2003 on an improvised updated version. One of the toughtest cars ever made and for that very common as taxi and police cars. I have one myself: 2000 1.8 model with 170.000kms and still running strong.
Reply
john 8:49PM (5/18/2009)
the world's Honda Civic I have never heard of until now?
PumaGTO 9:42PM (5/18/2009)
@john
I dont think I got exacly what you said, but the Civic, Camry, Accord and Corola are indeed though cars. But keep in mind that in Brazil, imports were only oficialy here since the mid 90´s, and with almost 60% import tax, these "luxury" cars are not realy afordable to everyone, making good'ol VWs the most common choice for people around here.
Pips 7:21PM (5/18/2009)
if vw bring this china built model to north america and sell it for under 10k, that would top the selling chart like it did in china. this model could long live for another 30 years! thats a real vw car of all people!
Reply
Tabajara Labs 7:22PM (5/18/2009)
This is the best Santana version. I dream in having a Santana EX (Executive) model :)
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 7:55PM (5/18/2009)
I shudder when I see those cars in China. They were awful on day one, let alone years and years later.
Reply
Bloke 11:30PM (5/18/2009)
There was nothing wrong with the B2 Passat back in its day; the mechanicals were as tough as old boots. The bodyshells however didn't stand the test of time well.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:42PM (5/18/2009)
Wrong.
The exhausts had a tendency to develop a hole in the tunnel between the passengers.
If the idle stabilizer failed it cause the idle to rise, potentially to dangerous levels (a real-life mini version of the mythical sudden acceleration syndrome). (http://lemon.onecle.com/volkswagen/volkswagen-quantum.html)
The power locks systems were vacuum-driven and would develop leaks in short order, so that the power locks wouldn't work when the engine was stopped, instead you'd have to start the car and run it for a few seconds.
And that's just what I remember right now.
A friend owned one, luckily his family also owned an auto parts distributorship.
Bloke 11:58PM (5/18/2009)
I see, I'm wrong ... so I guess my father's old '83 Passat 1.6CL which flawlessly went through 100K and the many people I knew who owned various iterations of the car with few faults must all be wrong as well. The diesels were pretty slow but just as dependable. The biggest problem was rotting rear wing panels and interiors which wore quickly.
Electric window motors (if fitted) weren't bombpoof, but if you had a Ford Sierra at the time with electric windows and mirrors, you were in for far more trips to the dealership.
At least in this country.
Still, I'm sure you know best.
why not the LS2LS7? 3:36AM (5/19/2009)
No, obviously you know best.
I believe I posted a link to recalls as part of my case. So how you can say I'm just blowing smoke is beyond me.
Here in the US, the cars were junk and disappeared quickly after they were discontinued. And the one I rode around in (belonging to a friend of mine) didn't feel safe even when working.
It was a rotten car, even in a time of rotten cars.
Bloke 8:47AM (5/19/2009)
Ah well, just because you posted some link to some obscure American website means you HAVE to be correct, eh? If you know your stuff and the market you live in, you don't need to post links because an enthusiast will generally be in agreement.
The American market differs to everywhere else, and especially so at the time the B2 Passat was around. You have very few variants and engine options there compared to us, plus cars back then were saddled with hefty emissions equipment purely for your market, which often sapped their power output and lead to more complex (and potentially troublesome) engineering.
The B2 Passat here was a very popular car. It was attractive albeit basic, but the mechanicals were bombproof. Our 1.6CL manual suffered no major problems whatsoever, and I knew many other people with B2s at the time. Indeed, that same engine had been used in various VWs for many years. Electrically, there were far worse rivals out there - notably the Ford Sierra, Citroen BX and Peugeot 405 - but the Passat wasn't perfect either. The B2 did tend to rust around the rear arches, especially at the back.
Judy Zik 12:12PM (5/19/2009)
Making it to 100,000kms or even miles flawlessly is not a big deal for any vehicle. I have seen Hyundai Excells that were babied that passed that mark quite well. I also wouldn't consider having a vehicles body parts rot or interior fall apart to be flawless. But that is all a matter of personal taste.
Glad to hear VW did a better job on the mechanicals in Europe. Here in Canada it wasn't so much the mechanicals as everything else that did in the early 80's VWs. Our climate is really hard on vehicles and these cars were not up to the task. The electrical systems were dreadful and with our salty roads they started rusting the day you drove them off the lot it seemed. I would imagine though VW and it's Chinese partner have likely ironed out most of the issues after 29 years of production.
Bloke 1:26PM (5/19/2009)
Firstly, many of the mechanicals of the B2 Passat can be traced back nigh on forty years; second, I'm referring to 100,000 miles for a bog-standard 1.6 litre saloon in the 1980's. Third, as harsh as the Canadian environment (and that of the northern US states in the winter) I've seen few American cars even these days with that sort of mileage which look nothing less than complete junk.
The old B2 Passat was a no-nonsense family car back in its day and easily outlasting most people's stewardship of a vehicle - at least here, in any case. At the time you certainly could buy worse (Renault, Ford) or a vehicle on a par (Opel) and the Passat wasn't without its shortcomings ... but its popularity was testament to its nn-nonsense approach.
tekd 8:11PM (5/18/2009)
They're not good in this day and age, and their presence on the streets of China makes the traffic around you seem like it's 1990 but they're so ubiquitous that it's going to be the end of an era when they finally retire this. There's so many of them in Shanghai, and they look almost identical regardless of vintage that you cat hardly tell if someone is driving a beaten up VW or a 1980's VW. Also interesting that I don't recall a difference between riding one in the mid 90's and riding in them last year. And anybody's who's hailed one of these as a cab can probably attest to the rather rickety nature of 99% of Santana taxis.
But the above comments a lot of people still like the car, no wonder it's done nearly 30 years.
Reply
RemusRM 8:42PM (5/18/2009)
i would want one... they look cool and better then todays pretty cars... i want real bumpers no some covers...
Reply
Tony 8:51PM (5/18/2009)
Guess what guys! Coming to a GM dealer not so near to you will be the Chevy Asspick ( pronounced As-Spick). A new to you model that will rekindle your love for dealer service.
Ha Ha Ha You guys think I'm joking? GM is looking to import more cars from Korea and China. Wait for it.
Reply
jason_870621 9:42PM (5/18/2009)
you're the asspick..you did read the article right?
the car's been built for 26 years.. and back then, foreign companies were only giving older-generation designs to China ( or any other second-world countries i suppose). so the design itself is 35 years old if not more. bitch please...
tuxchown 11:20PM (5/18/2009)
Wow. What a lamer.
art 9:02PM (5/18/2009)
in retrospect, perhaps just and angle or two too many. not one of VW's best stabs at post-Guigiaro styling. there is a reason he is called the Maestro.
Reply
Maestro1 9:40PM (5/18/2009)
There's something cool about old cars which end up running forever. Its hard to explain, but I find it cool. I guess its the durability and versatility about these vehicles which I find appealing, because you can run them ragged for God knows how long and they keep going. Plus their greater simplicity in function and design make them stand out in comparison to today's camrys and accords.
Reply