If you've ever heard of Wolfgang Bernhard you've inevitably heard him described as a "product genius" or "guru" or other some other over zealous term for his keen product knowledge. He was a hotshot engineer at Mercedes before getting sent to Auburn Hills to retool Chrysler's product plan.
After mixed results, he headed to Volkswagen where he immediately sealed a deal to rebadge Chrysler minivans as Volkswagen Routans. It was a bad idea then and a bad idea now. After dismal sales, Volkswagen executives are looking for a way out. When asked about it directly they say "no decisions have been made," which of course means they have and they don't want to announce it yet.
Bernard is back at Mercedes these days and will likely succeed Dieter Zetsche in the top spot. When it happens, expect to see many mentions of his product success and no mention of the Routan.
WSJ: Uncertain Road for VW's Routan Minivan
firstwagon says:
04:08 PM, 06/21/10
"He was a hotshot engineer at Mercedes before getting sent to Auburn Hills to retool Chrysler's product plan."
So what year did he get sent to retool Chrysler? Chrysler products were much more competitive before the Mercedes years. Is he to blame for the worst interiors in the business?
IMHO the Routan was a poor idea. The Caravan isn't a bad van for the price but is nothing like a VW product. VW has interesting products they could bring over which would have been far better for their image and long term success.
the_big_al says:
04:41 PM, 06/21/10
I am neither a Chrylser fan, nor a VW fan. VW has good products, but none that I would actually go out and buy. They are unique in their own right and all have character that makes them a VW. I really like how they look most of the time and they have good driving characteristics. I just would never buy one.
Chrysler has boring, dull and craptastically put together vehicles with only a few exceptions. I won't name them here, but the Caravan is on the list of being mediocre at best. Good product, well thought features, poor execution. To see it rebadged as a VW is worse than taking a Toureg and calling it a Cayenne. At least the Cayenne has characteristics that make it more Porsche-like instead of rebadged VW-like. The Routan?? A new interior and front grill a V-dub does not make. No wonder this thing isn't selling well. Any VW enthusiast would be able to tell the instant they got into the thing that it wasn't a real Volkswagen. And If I had to stereotype anyone, V-dub owners are a very loyal group. They expect their products to perform a certain way, sound a certain way and drive a certain way. All of Volkswagens products exhibit distinct V-dub character and when the Routan certainly doesn't exhibit that. Not with a Chrysler engine and Chrysler underpinnings and suspension.
Now if they had used the platform and used a Volkswagen engine, and spent some time with the suspension to tighten it up and make it drive more like a Volkswagen and then styled it more like say the GTI instead of the bread-box it is, then maybe it would've had a shot at better sales. Why buy this and pay a premium for it when you can go to the Dodge store and get it cheaper and with rebates to boot??
charlesb says:
06:10 PM, 06/21/10
If the Chrysler minivan were a better engineered and build product then this would have been a good idea. Unfortunately, it wasn't so it isn't
wehojoel says:
06:45 PM, 06/21/10
MICROBUS! MICROBUS! Bring us the MICROBUS! Go back VW and look at your 2001 concept and make it happen!
festus67 says:
07:26 PM, 06/21/10
"MICROBUS! MICROBUS! Bring us the MICROBUS! Go back VW and look at your 2001 concept and make it happen!" - Ditto.
If it had been green lighted way back then, i very well might have bought one to replace my Passat 2.5 years ago. What a shame they bought this guy's stupid idea. Doof!
lostboyz says:
04:04 AM, 06/22/10
There isn't anything wrong with the caravan, but it is a distinctly american mini-van. VW's heritage on the bust front was always very european. That and being an obvious rebadge and more expensive than its original makes it a very unattractive sale.
sgude says:
05:03 AM, 06/22/10
I have made several dumb automotive decisions in my lifetime. Can I too, become the head of Mercedes-Benz?
bankerdanny says:
09:03 AM, 06/22/10
I think the Routan is a better looking van than the Caravan. I have wondered if the suspension was more VW tunes than Chrysler.
That said, nobody who canceled the revised Microbus in favor of a warmed over Caravan deserves to be considered a "product guru".
ed124c says:
09:46 AM, 06/22/10
In my neck of the woods, Routans have up to 10,000 dollars discounts with prices as low as 19,600. (I live in NY)
Even the interior of a Routan is nothing to write home about.
Imagine an MB exec driving a prototype of the Routan and deciding "good enough".
ptcdawg says:
10:44 AM, 06/22/10
No doubt, the New Microbus should have been greenlighted....
mlh says:
12:23 PM, 06/22/10
Time to sell Daimler stock.
smilez says:
01:30 PM, 06/22/10
So they went from this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR4SHPiuaE4 (jump ahead to the 1:50 mark to actually see the concept), to rebadging a Caravan. Nice work guys!
ocramidajzj says:
04:12 PM, 06/22/10
I got stuck with a Routan when my family went on vacation last year. I wanted a Mazda 5 but hertz had none. The Routan was the only van left. After driving it across the roads of Arizona and through the Grand Canyon I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Like someone else saida new nose and different interior does not a VW make. Luckily our sample started having electrical gremlins that caused the central locking system to malfunction which was more than enough reason to exchange it. Luckily we were able to grab a Mazda5 that had been recently returned. I wouldn't buy a Routan if they were giving them away.
ocramidajzj says:
04:39 PM, 06/22/10
I got stuck with a Routan when my family went on vacation last year. I wanted a Mazda 5 but hertz had none. The Routan was the only van left. After driving it across the roads of Arizona and through the Grand Canyon I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Like someone else saida new nose and different interior does not a VW make. Luckily our sample started having electrical gremlins that caused the central locking system to malfunction which was more than enough reason to exchange it. Luckily we were able to grab a Mazda5 that had been recently returned. I wouldn't buy a Routan if they were giving them away.
bimmerjay says:
12:23 PM, 06/24/10
The 2001 Microbus was a way cool concept but it's not crashworthy - no way they could greenlight it.