Volkswagen Announce New Routan Minivan

Volkswagen Sharan Grille with logo

Debut at Chicago Motor Show

By Clinton Deacon
January 16, 2008 3:13 PM
Filed Under: German, Volkswagen

Volkswagen is stepping up efforts to create a larger market share in the United States, we have already heard they are considering bringing the Polo over, now the German manufacturer has announced an all new minivan which will be named Routan will debut at the Chicago Motor Show next month.

Routan is a name that indicates a bond between America and Volkswagen, just in case that bond doesn't strike you straight away, here is the explanation. The first part of the word is taken from the English word “route” with the end coming from “an” which we see at the end of VW's European vans – Touran and Sharan.

The Routan is a joint development with Chrysler LLC and will be over 5 metres in length seating up to 7 people. We expect it to be based on the same platform as the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, with power likely to come from Chrysler's 4.0-liter V-6 and possibly the 3.8-liter V-6.

Production will commence this summer at Chrysler's Canadian factory in Ontario with the first models to hit dealers in the fall.

Source: Volkswagen

Comments

afterace2
January 16, 2008 3:54 PM
this is going to replace the already very old sharan, or this will be another model in the lineup?

asif
January 16, 2008 4:55 PM
routan?!! are you serious? please tell me this is a joke. they already have a touran! theyve just swapped the letters around. how uncreative. well if the name is anything to go by we can imagine the car is gonna look equally s***. i wish vw all the best as it continues full steam towards product annonimity. the americans are not gonna fall for this nonsense. yeah i havent seen the car but on the evidence of this name its easy to say its not gonna be a knockout.....

xLumino
January 16, 2008 5:08 PM
Are you sure for what you wrote? Routan...hm..why not? It makes sence. In Southamerica ther is an compactcar called Gol and one class higher is the Golf.. But the Gol for example is not available in europe. And in States VW offer the Golf AND the Gol, the bigger one is called Rabbit for example. So nobody in Europe driving a Touran cares about the american Volkswagen and it's name..

Other thing: why a 5 meter car is called a Minivan? It's more a midivan, or not? VW-Van with 4litre-V6 sounds interesting ;) but maybe a bit nonsence

coopergt
January 16, 2008 5:19 PM
no spy shots,wow seems like vw has good security!

coopergt
January 16, 2008 5:19 PM
wow no spy shots, seems like vw has good security!

Blaconque
January 16, 2008 5:23 PM
if u noticed ... this pic. is for a VW tauran ... nothing clear till now ... and i didn't like the name

bojanb
January 16, 2008 6:28 PM
Nooooo:(....i hope VW won't join with chrysler...that'll doom the VW Group Of North America good plans for this market

BENZian
January 16, 2008 8:13 PM
VW can hardly sink lower in the American market...

bojanb
January 16, 2008 7:56 PM
please VW don't do it

coopergt
January 16, 2008 8:33 PM
well chrysler already has stolen vw's swivel seats in their own van.

aaps59
January 17, 2008 12:12 AM
hey idiots, the tauran and the sharan are in the u.k. read DETROIT AUTO SHOW

NaBUru38
January 17, 2008 2:04 AM
And don't forget the Tiguan off-roader, and the Suran too (the minivan/wagon version of the Fox). The Suran is called SpaceFox in Brazil, SportVan in Mexico and Fox Plus in Algeria... that's worse than the Touran/Routan duo.

I hope it's not just a rebadged Caravan, it's too boxy for my tastes. Something closer to the Venza, Journey, S-Max or Croma would be much better.

benz_man
January 17, 2008 8:19 AM
I heard its supposed to be a good example of badge engineering, but the Chrysler product isn't a bad place to start. Hey, its working for the Toureg/Cayenne/Q7!

Rock
January 17, 2008 11:45 PM
Phaeton: Sun of helios or the shining one, Routan: Domestic goddess..Greek Mythology..Get it?Should I continue? Idiots.

Rock
January 17, 2008 11:51 PM
Phaeton: "The shining one" The sun of Helios, RouTan : Domestic goddess...Get it? Greek mythology. some enlightenment

hofmeyer
January 19, 2008 4:48 AM
most american companies have gotten out of the minivan market because there isn't a big enough demand. people still want big gas hogging suv's.

Note to VW: don't bother. americans didn't buy your last van either.

hofmeyer
January 19, 2008 4:48 AM
most american companies have gotten out of the minivan market because there isn't a big enough demand. people still want big gas hogging suv's.

Note to VW: don't bother. americans didn't buy your last van either.

asif
January 21, 2008 2:02 PM
vw doing well in the us? no way! a Myth!

smokeonit1
January 26, 2008 6:22 PM
this is for the US market only, eventuallt if people demand it it might make it to the EU and asia too...

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