VW Sportvan?!

January 15, 2007 – 7:58 pm by Matt Radel
Filed under Cool Stuff

And they’re working with the minivan king, Chrysler. This should be fun…maybe.

AutozInsight reports that VW will “rebadge a Chrysler minivan” in an effort to appeal to the soccer moms out there. Shortly thereafter they’re due to release the “SportVan” which will be built off the Audi A6 Avant’s platform, which will feature “theater-type seating for six or seven plus a decent amount of luggage space, even with all seats in place” and be powered by a 2.0-liter turbo or 3.2-liter V6 engine.

Rebadging a Chrysler? I’m officially nervous. Don’t get me wrong, Chrysler has done great things with their minivans(many young soccer teams would agree). But this just doesn’t feel right. VW has a real opportunity to cash in with a new Microbus (please, please) and keep riding the nostalgic success of the GTI, Rabbit and New Beetle. They could redefine what the minivan market is. But why release such a bland initial offering to a market you’re trying to tap? True, we have yet to see what they’ll do with this “rebadging”, but my guess is that it won’t be nearly as cool as a new Microbus.

But then again, did VW miss their window? The hippie generation is aging, probably the biggest proponents for a new Microbus, with most (by my guess) being in their 50’s or 60’s by now. I wouldn’t think they’d be hauling around too many young, growing families(though, they could have grandkids I guess). Dunno. All I can say is that I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed.