Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
5 million vehicles is a pretty big niche :-)...
|
That figure is worldwide, including places where it continued in production after sales ended in the US and Europe. A company was still importing them into the UK about 5 years ago from Mexico I think - but they had absolutely no rustproofing so they dissolved in months on our salty roads.
If it wasn't a niche in the States then everyone would have one, so all those GM/Ford/Chrysler year on year updates would have been a waste of time, and clearly for a while (when they had no competition) they weren't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
(And FWIW, I was around for at least some of those times. Beetles and VW vans were cool :-))
|
Me too. Me and Junior spotted a Danbury Series 2 (the van) one the other day and I had to explain to him about how that van now costs more than a new Porsche Cockster. Danbury van has Fuchs alloys, full leather trim, metallic paint - the full works. Lovely, but would probably drive like a pedal car these days. It even has a water cooled engine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
Which IIRC didn't sell all that well :-) Indeed, I don't think anything of theirs except the Rabbit sold much in the US.
|
Er, VW Rabbit (US) = VW Golf (Europe) - its the same car. VW has loads of names for cars the world over, like Jetta = Bora in Europe (only for some years though), Fox (never sold in Europe until the recent small hatchback) and Santana - Mexico made and sold in Europe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
The Ford Fester? You're serious?
|
Fester is a sort of affectionate name for the Ford Fiesta, like "Ford Capri" becomes "Ford Crapi" or "Porsche Boxster" becomes "Porsche Cockster" when you include the drivers. There was an old joke which compared hedgehogs to BMWs here in the UK - the difference being that on Hedgehogs the pricks were on the outside.