The Volkswagen Routan: Engineered in Germany, Designed for America

After multiple failed attempts to break into the American market with the Eurovan, Volkswagen has decided to launch into partnership with minivan mogul, Chrysler.

The Volkswagen Routan (ROO-tan) made its debut in September with a clever advertising campaign featuring Brooke Shields.  Dubbed as “the first minivan in America with German engineering,” the new seven-seat minivan shares the same framework design as two of America’s bestselling minivans, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. It has been designed specifically for success in the North American market with standard features including power sliding doors, a power lift gate and under-the-floor storage compartments.

The launch campaign is based on the idea that the Routan’s features are so compelling, families are having children in order to buy the minivan. Shields encourages parents to “have babies for love, not German engineering.”

Shields directs viewers to learn more by visiting www.RoutanBoom.com, which links the consumer to the Routan’s homepage on the Volkswagen Web site. Here, one can watch Brooke Shields’ full “mockumentary” on the epidemic that is the Routan Boom or experiment with the Routan BabyMaker 3000, a device that allows the visitor to make a baby without actually “making” a baby.

Nevertheless, the Routan aims to be affordable and family friendly, starting at just under $25,000 and averaging up to 23 miles-per-gallon making it economically viable for families.

Do you think the Routan will become as popular as the Dodge Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Town & Country? Was this a good time for Volkswagen to launch the Routan? Will the Routan be as big a commercial success as its ad campaign?

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Comments

[CreativeGoddess]

The campaign is hilarious! I love it. Although, I'm not going to have children for German engineering. ;)