REPORT: VW banking on Oprah giveaway to raise awareness of slow-selling Routan minivans
If you close your eyes and think about the Volkswagen product lineup, products like the Golf, Jetta, and Passat are sure to come to mind. Most won't picture the Routan minivan, because most Americans don't even know the rebadged Dodge Grand Caravan exists. Sales of the Routan are so bad that the minivan hasn't been made since January, and production isn't picking up again until August.
Volkswagen is hoping to change the fortunes of its invisible minivan by giving away two Routans on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The move could prove to be a boon for VW, particularly after Oprah's 2004 stunt where the media madam gave away 276 Pontiac G6 models. Two weeks after the show, public awareness of the new sedan shot up to 87% and Pontiac was off the charts in Google and Yahoo searches, too.
Since Oprah is giving away two Routans instead of one to each member of her audience, we're guessing this giveaway won't have the same punch as the G6 scheme. The association with Oprah probably won't hurt, though, and any discernible bump in showroom traffic would make the Routan giveaway a success. With only 2,099 sales in June and 1,390 in May, the Routan could use all the help it can get.
[Source: Wards Automotive]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
RamblinReck89 8:38AM (7/13/2009)
But I don't want one!
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LMBVette 10:22AM (7/13/2009)
Exactly.....
Giving away Routans is the only way VW can actually get rid of them!!!!!
Jei 10:33AM (7/13/2009)
I've seen quite a few of them in central Ohio. The thing is --- if you're not paying much attention to the actual front-end, you'd just assume it was another Chrysler minivan --- no loss.
VW has done a descent job at differentiating the instrument panel and consoles to fit more with the overall VW design language. There really is much one could do to make it more different w/o doing something expensive.
JayP 8:50AM (7/13/2009)
If you want a minivan and your local Chrysler dealer has closed, this isn't a bad choice.
If anything, Chrysler knows minivans.
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Ligor 8:56AM (7/13/2009)
yes
but this will cost you an extra $5k for nothing more than some lipstick
and it's not like the VW dealers are everywhere so you can make a quick stop
if anything the next Chrystler dealer will be closer thant the local VW and so just drop by there. with current sales you can get one cheap, and deifinitely much cheaper than the VW version fo the same thing
let's see a fully loaded Chryslter or the stripped out VW verison?
Bob-omb 9:11AM (7/13/2009)
No, Chrysler used to know minivans. The Grand Caravan is (not counting the dying Uplander) the worst choice on the market, hands down. Every head-to-head comparison of minivans I've read in print has the Odyssey (or occasionally the Sienna) being the clear winner.
It's extremely sad. Our '88 Voyager was, at the time, an absolute revelation. When we replaced it in '98, our new Caravan was no better. It even had the exact same powertrain. It's sad how Dodge let the minivan slip away.
FSM 9:59AM (7/13/2009)
I don't even think the Routan has the one feature that made the Town and Country such a compelling choice. Namely the stow and go seating for the second row.
Bobmarley 8:54AM (7/13/2009)
...European engineering!...?
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richard 11:50AM (7/13/2009)
Deliberately misleading, obviously, but it WAS developed under Daimler's regime...
kellman 1:51PM (7/13/2009)
My thoughts exactly a German re-engineered turd is still a turd.
LBuzzer 8:55AM (7/13/2009)
Why not?
Look what it did for the G6!!!
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DJ 8:55AM (7/13/2009)
"Volkswagen is hoping to change the fortunes of its invisible minivan by giving away two Routans on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The move could prove to be a boon for VW, particularly after Oprah's 2004 stunt where the media madam gave away 276 Pontiac G6 models. Two weeks after the show, public awareness of the new sedan shot up to 87% and Pontiac was off the charts in Google and Yahoo searches, too."
So how did that big giveaway workl out for Pontiac? I mean now that they're DEAD!
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Protzenegger 9:17AM (7/13/2009)
Touché.
Throwback 9:26AM (7/13/2009)
Blame Rick, not Oprah. She probably sold more G6s than all of GM marketing combined.
216 9:05AM (7/13/2009)
wow I'd like to be there when she gives these out, free chicken is one thing but 2 free vehicles? Sell em on cars.com
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Henry 9:15AM (7/13/2009)
VW went to Crispin Porter + Bogusky, because they were the “hot” ad agency at the time. At this point, I would think they are a little disappointed. Despite some serious air time for all their vehicles and having Brooke Shields as the Routan spokes person, they haven’t moved the needle much. The VW clean diesel ad making fun of hybrids is brilliant, but the rest are easy to forget.
If VW wants to take America by storm and take over lost market share from GM and Chrysler, its going to have to do better than this.
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Edsel 9:17AM (7/13/2009)
Please! Stop bashing my favorite Fiat!
I traded in my BMW 7 series for my Routan. Really, I did - no lie!
In the 2k miles I've driven my Fiat Crouton I have not had ANY problems; unlike the BMW which would have again emptied my wallet in the same distance traveled.
VW is practically paying customers to drive them off the lot. It's a terrific deal especially if you're trying to offload a problem plagued BMW 7 series!
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Frank 10:34AM (7/13/2009)
That's because the (Chrysler built) Routan is the most trouble free new car that VW has ever launched. If you had bought a "real" VW you might have found that your wallet was emptying faster than when you had the BMW.
Mr.Oak 10:57AM (7/13/2009)
If I were in the market for a minivan, I would buy this over the actual Chrysler unit. Style has never been VW's problem. So, you get Chrysler's reliability, with VW's style.
Bob-omb 12:51PM (7/13/2009)
Chrysler's reliability? That's a joke, right?