Automotive News - November 3, 2008 - (Page 29)

NOVEMBER 3, 2008 • 29 Walter de’ Silva: The new sedan will follow VW’s new design criteria; the redesigned Golf is a “clear idea” of what to expect. Aug. RV shipments fall 44% Chrissie Thompson cethompson@crain.com RV wholesale deliveries, August & 8 months August 2008 August 2007 Percent change 8 months 2008 8 months 2007 Percent change Moving to online-only Starting next month, this feature will be available only online at www.autonews.com. Please send any comments or questions to Industry Editor James B. Treece at jtreece@crain.com. August sales of towable RVs declined 40.4 percent from 2007 to 15,200. Travel trailers and fifthwheel trailers made up almost 90 percent of the August shipments of towable trailers, but shipments of each declined about 41 percent from August 2007. VW drops hints about car for new Tenn. plant April Wortham awortham@crain.com August shipments of motor homes to retailers hit their lowest level for that month in more than 35 years. U.S. shipments for the month totaled 1,700, a loss of almost twothirds from August 2007’s total of 4,900, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. That collapse helped drag down total RV shipments — both towable RVs and motor homes — 44.4 percent in August to 16,900. Through August, total RV shipments to retailers dropped 22.7 percent from 2007 to 196,500, the lowest eight-month total since 1997. Travel trailers 9,200 Travel trailers-fifth wheel 4,200 Folding camping trailers 1,500 Truck campers 300 Towable RV total 15,200 Conventional (Type A) 900 Van campers (Type B) 200 Mini (Type C) 600 Motor home total 1,700 Shipments to RV retailers 16,900 Source: Recreation Vehicle Industry Association 15,700 7,100 2,100 600 25,500 2,900 300 1,700 4,900 30,400 –41.4 –40.8 –28.6 –50.0 –40.4 –69.0 –33.3 –64.7 –65.3 –44.4 105,500 47,300 16,100 4,000 172,900 12,100 1,600 9,900 23,600 196,500 130,200 57,600 22,200 5,400 215,400 22,800 2,200 13,900 38,900 254,300 –19.0 –17.9 –27.5 –25.9 –19.7 –46.9 –27.3 –28.8 –39.3 –22.7 Conventional RVs saw the greatest August decline in the motor-home segment with just 900 shipments, a 69.0 percent collapse from 2,900 a year earlier. The totals do not include conver- sion vehicles. In October 2007, the RV association stopped including those in its monthly shipment totals. Manufacturers of conversion vehicles have cut ties with the association. c Volkswagen AG has been keeping its new mid-sized sedan under tight wraps since confirming this summer its plans to build the car at a new factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. The plant will begin production in early 2011. But a few details about the car are emerging. The sedan, slightly larger than the Passat, will be built on an existing vehicle platform, says Volkswagen group CEO Martin Winterkorn. Speaking at group headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, last month, Winterkorn said the sedan is “proof of Volkswagen’s future in the United States.” The VW group has ambitious plans to sell 1 million vehicles in the United States by 2018: 800,000 Volkswagens and 200,000 Audis. Last year, the VW brand sold 230,572 vehicles in the United States, while Audi sales totaled 93,506. Getting the sedan right was crucial to VW’s decision to build cars in Tennessee, Jochem Heizmann, group head of production, said in Berlin last month. “We had to investigate very, very deep and concrete to be sure to have the right product in the States,” Heizmann said, “and this right product has to suit American customers.” Heizmann said the sedan will be tailored for American customers. It will have a dual-clutch transmission and offer two engine types: gasoline direct injection and direct-injection turbodiesel. VW predicts about 30 percent of the sedans will be diesels, similar to sales expectations for the 50-statecompliant Jetta TDI launched in August. “And of course it will have superior design,” Heizmann said. Walter de’ Silva, head of design for the VW group’s eight brands, was coy about the sedan’s design when speaking with reporters at the Volkswagen Design Center in Wolfsburg last month. De’ Silva said the car would meet the VW brand’s new design criteria, with a characteristic roof bow and horizontal lines along the sides and in the face. He pointed to the redesigned Golf, which went on sale in Europe last month, as a “clear idea what to expect from all future VW models” in terms of design. The sedan was designed with the American customer in mind, but it is first and foremost a VW, he said. “It’s not our philosophy to design a car for a market. This is wrong. A good tailor is a good tailor all over the world, so a good car is a good car,” de’ Silva said. “But the customization, the color, the tuning, the specialties, the accessories, the wheels — it’s very, very important.” c When it comes to backing up, why look anyplace else? Sure, you could put the rear camera display someplace else, but why? The mirror is an intuitive, ergonomic location that lets you view the reflected scene and the display simultaneously. It’s also a cost-effective solution that simplifies cross-platform integration. And, the on-demand display comes packaged in an auto-dimming mirror with a host of other optional value-added features. The Gentex rear camera display one look shows it all. Gentex Corporation • 600 North Centennial, Zeeland, Michigan 49464 • 616-772-1800 • www.gentex.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.gentex.com http://www.gentex.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - November 3, 2008

Credit? Come and get it, industry groups say GM's product delays signal dire health Ford sticks with small-car plans Mitsubishi CEO: Let's halt Galant production in U.S. A dealer â and his reputation â on the ballot Help vehicles shed pounds American Axle posts loss UAW hires bailout adviser Ford to spend $200 million to upgrade 2 Ky. plants No off-lease cars? Certified will find others Arlena Sawyers China's stock market plunge has spooked car shoppers Advantage, Ford: Mulally likes owning Ford Credit Supplier execs join innovation panel at congress Quietly, Mini seeks 500 drivers to lease electric car for a year Reynolds bolsters document business Winterkorn: Audi needs to build in U.S. The great revenue drop of 2008 Bidders bet they can rebuild Heard 1 size fits all NADA: Give us tax incentives, dealer loan guarantees Campaigns' climate, energy plans hit economic wall Detroit 3 need and deserve U.S. help now Chrysler needs a buyer, but not GM Dealers pay fair share of taxes Washington hurts, not helps, electrics Compressed natural gas is the best fuel New ads aim to raise Suzuki's low profile Suzuki's new ad strategist: This brand has soul Fuel efficiency is coming â it just takes time Electrics edge closer by 2010 Tougher CAFE standards loom R&d chiefs shift gears for an electric future Japan carmakers lead charge into electrics Buffett backs BYD's sketchy plan for U.S. electric car Q&A: BYD envisions 2010 exports to U.S., Europe Girding the power grid for an electric fleet Hype powers plug-in vehicles Coachbuilders see salvation in electric cars Electric vehicles are charging into Europe Expect stop-start's big start to arrive in 2010 Flexibility will help Honda survive the storm Nardelli: Bailout not perfect â but needed Audi goes high-tech to boost service Acura offers quick service to win business Toyota's fashion fan Picture this Hondaâs N.A. operating profit falls 80.6% in quarter Aug. RV shipments fall 44% VW drops hints about car for new Tenn. plant Mexico sales fall 10.7% in September Honda to boost CR-V, end Civic output in Ohio Ford and GM jockey for steel discounts Dealers Ford Credit seeks to tap $700 billion package GM will end a used-car incentive early Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda recast fiscal 2009 forecasts Metaldyne to bondholders: Take 30% or Chap. 11 looms Detroit 3 ties hurt profits of dealer groups GM takeover would eviscerate Chrysler ranks, model lineup Mitsubishi plans electric hauler To match Toyota, Nissan offers 0% loans Sticker, sticker at the mall, what's the cheapest of them all? The Versa Waiting is what it's all about, Alfa Buy Chrysler? GM should sell Buick to SAIC Pickups pumped up by pump price plunge Chrysler hybrids, we hardly new ye Ghosn: Your best partner is a president in your pocket Sonic wins, but Mercedes wants last word

Automotive News - November 3, 2008

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