# VW to re-enter the North American van market! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637 "2006-01-05T21:24:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/1 "2006-01-05T21:24:12Z")
Three weeks after [the last rear-engined air-cooled Kombi rolled off a Brazilian assembly line](http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1222brazil-vw22.html), [VW announced that it will start producing a new minivan on a DaimlerChrysler platform](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=aalp9p_GFpIM&refer=germany). I wonder if they’ll use retro styling like the New Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/2 "2006-01-05T23:50:29Z")
I’m more interested in this info in the linked article: > [@](#): > > Volkswagen announced yesterday it is also considering selling a three-wheeled car to lure back U.S. buyers. The carmaker intends to introduce the two-seat vehicle as early as the first part of 2007 in the U.S, with a focus on sales in California, Bernhard said. The car, known as GX3, has two wheels in the front, weighs 1,300 pounds and goes 46 miles on a gallon of gasoline. It’s about time Americans got more options for ultra-compact fuel-efficient vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/3 "2006-01-05T23:53:36Z")
As long as it doesn’t look like [this hideous monstrosity](http://www.vwsites.com/news/news_images/microbus/microbus_front.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![TonyF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@TonyF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonyF)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/4 "2006-01-06T00:03:55Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > As long as it doesn’t look like [this hideous monstrosity](http://www.vwsites.com/news/news_images/microbus/microbus_front.jpg). It kinda looks like a kitty! … except it seems kitty ran face-first into a clothes iron… > [@scr4](#): > > It’s about time Americans got more options for ultra-compact fuel-efficient vehicles. That IS pretty nice, but I can’t help but channel images of Mr. Bean with such a design… Personally I wonder if a new VW van could become as… iconic as the previous. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/5 "2006-01-06T00:41:57Z")
**Mr. Blue Sky** , thats the same concept vehicle I have seen floating around the web for a while; circa '01. Here are some other pics (fairly fast loading) [circa 2001 VW Concept “Bus”](http://vanagon.com/media/concept/) It alway frigging irked me that Chrysler claimed the “invented” the minivan…WTF, VW did it in the late 40’s early 50’s. Have restored and owned 5 and a half air cooled micro busses…still drive VW, a Passat now. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vw-to-re-enter-the-north-american-van-market/338637/6 "2006-01-06T00:51:32Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > **Mr. Blue Sky** , thats the same concept vehicle I have seen floating around the web for a while; circa '01. > > Here are some other pics (fairly fast loading) > [circa 2001 VW Concept “Bus”](http://vanagon.com/media/concept/) > > It alway frigging irked me that Chrysler claimed the “invented” the minivan…WTF, VW did it in the late 40’s early 50’s. > > Have restored and owned 5 and a half air cooled micro busses…still drive VW, a Passat now. Thankfully, VW decided to scuttle that design. It might have worked with round headlights, though. I’ve owned 3 Beetles and one exceptionally ratty bus myself.