- What We Know
- The 2009 Volkswagen Routan will make its world debut at the Chicago auto show in February. VW says the Routan, jointly developed with Chrysler, is intended "especially for the U.S. market."
The name "Routan" is intended to connect the new model to VW's European vans, the Touran and Sharan, while containing what the German automaker calls an English word: "route." The minivan will be built at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant. Although it was designed with Chrysler, VW says the look both inside and out "of course" is in line with its own "clear design concept."
The seven-passenger minivan is about 197 inches in length and is intended to be "splendidly adapted" to U.S. minivan drivers' needs in terms of space and functionality, VW says. Images and full specs have not been released.
- What Edmunds.com says
- Until we get a glimpse of the styling it's hard to tell if the Routan will be a true Volkswagen or just another bad attempt at badge engineering.
