Where oh where did VW go wrong?

[Malc24]

Didnt say it did?...... Unless you can see where I said the T7 Multivan has a wet belt within the post?

The link is related to the tie up with Ford not being well received ..........I didn't know that the Amarok had a wet belt and or which vehicle does or doesn't, which engine does or doesn't.....

As the T7 California, its not on my list, I've have no interest in what engine it has

Why post that video here then? Ridiculous.

 

[pjm-84]

Title of the thread is

"Where oh where did VW go wrong?"...... its at the top.

The Ford tie up has not gone down well. Oddly, if I want to buy a Ford...I buy a Ford......... I bought a VW because I didn't want a Ford......

Now if the title of the thread was...."Does the VW T7 Multivan have a wetbelt" then that's another matter. But's it not.....now if we cant discuss where VW went wrong, why sales are poor, and why VW are offering incentives to shift stock....lets just pack up the conversation and go home...

If you read my post, its says the proof of the pudding is in the eating, if you're happy with the T7, then that's your pudding, you dont have to justify it by dissing the T5,T6, or T6.1. The same goes if you dont like the T7, you dont have to buy it......but that's not the thread......

 

[sidepod]

Haven’t they been sharing parts for years? The brakes on my 2003’T4 are the same as Ford for example.

 

[pjm-84]

Lol..... I dont know....I'll let Google AI do the search....

No, the
Volkswagen T4 (Transporter/Caravelle) does not have Ford brakes. It uses a braking system developed and manufactured specifically for the Volkswagen Group.
However, there are two common reasons for confusion between the two:

• The VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy Connection: Some brake components are shared between the VW Sharan, Seat Alhambra, and Ford Galaxy because they were co-developed in a joint venture. Parts for these vehicles are sometimes listed alongside T4 parts in online catalogs, though they are rarely interchangeable.
• Upgrades: Some VW T4 owners use brake components from other manufacturers as aftermarket upgrades. For example, enthusiasts sometimes adapt rear brake setups from vehicles like the Ford Taurus or Ford Mustang to improve stopping power.

Key T4 Braking System Facts:

• Standard Equipment: Earlier T4 models (up to May 1996) typically feature front discs and self-adjusting rear drum brakes. Later models (1996–2003) generally have disc brakes on both the front and rear.
• Manufacturers: Original equipment (OE) components for the T4 are typically produced by German manufacturers such as Febi Bilstein, ATE, or Lucas/TRW.

 

[sidepod]

Big brake model
Should I post the VIN so you can check?

 

[pjm-84]

Can do if you want....but I have no way of checking VINs.

Indeed I have a Ford owned Volvo, that has a few FoMoCo switch parts and minor parts, and a D3 that had similar. I had the V8 jag engine in the D3, not the Ford derived Lion engine. I wonder why?

But the brakes on the D3 are Ferodo supplied, and the Volvo's are Bosch / Brembo...allegedly....

 

[FivetonesCali]

Winding back to the original topic, in the year since the post surprisingly little has changed in emotional response.

Some Observations:
- The Transporter decision is locked in, it ain’t going away soon.
- VW seem to be still struggling with the software/electronic architecture of the first New Cali’s, especially the more interesting PHEV. Cali’s are never cheap but the pricing of these things needs them to be aspirational - in this type of vehicle that means rock solid reliable. When they fully sort the problems most people will warm but they won’t sell well.
- They have announced pulling the Buzz from the US. Whilst people love the Buzz in the UK at least (it still turns heads) they’ve got the pricing horribly wrong. The response to the Kia PV5 reveals much here.

From observations on the wider market:
- ICE vehicles are going away slower than anticipated.
- MPV style vehicles will make a return. Especially if cheap and if the can make a play towards maximum utility (see Citroen ELO concept and recent Dacia concepts). This is not the Cali market but the younger generation and those with young families could be lured this way over a softroad suv/jacked up hatchback.
- vans etc will have a bigger proportion of the range devoted to being ‘rugged’ (I know us mountain bikers are drawn to this. Example PV5 wkndr concept). Think of this as the SUV-ification of vans.

In all this what can VW do?
- short/medium term: they’re not in a good shape on addressing the lower end right now. They could draw on their Chinese side to provide something cheap and PHEV.
- keep the Buzz and let it move platform to SSP (from MEB), make it bigger, adopt lighter materials so a Cali is possible.
- make a lower price MEB+ vehicle based on the VW T3 that’s smaller than the new big SSP Buzz - lean heavy into 80s retro styling like Renault have done for the 4/5 EVs. 80s nostalgia is high and the angular T3 would make a great design base.

As you can see I like wild speculation but it would be interesting to hear other ideas.

 

[stoobthealien]

Winding back to the original topic, in the year since the post surprisingly little has changed in emotional response.

Some Observations:
- The Transporter decision is locked in, it ain’t going away soon.
- VW seem to be still struggling with the software/electronic architecture of the first New Cali’s, especially the more interesting PHEV. Cali’s are never cheap but the pricing of these things needs them to be aspirational - in this type of vehicle that means rock solid reliable. When they fully sort the problems most people will warm but they won’t sell well.
- They have announced pulling the Buzz from the US. Whilst people love the Buzz in the UK at least (it still turns heads) they’ve got the pricing horribly wrong. The response to the Kia PV5 reveals much here.

From observations on the wider market:
- ICE vehicles are going away slower than anticipated.
- MPV style vehicles will make a return. Especially if cheap and if the can make a play towards maximum utility (see Citroen ELO concept and recent Dacia concepts). This is not the Cali market but the younger generation and those with young families could be lured this way over a softroad suv/jacked up hatchback.
- vans etc will have a bigger proportion of the range devoted to being ‘rugged’ (I know us mountain bikers are drawn to this. Example PV5 wkndr concept). Think of this as the SUV-ification of vans.

In all this what can VW do?
- short/medium term: they’re not in a good shape on addressing the lower end right now. They could draw on their Chinese side to provide something cheap and PHEV.
- keep the Buzz and let it move platform to SSP (from MEB), make it bigger, adopt lighter materials so a Cali is possible.
- make a lower price MEB+ vehicle based on the VW T3 that’s smaller than the new big SSP Buzz - lean heavy into 80s retro styling like Renault have done for the 4/5 EVs. 80s nostalgia is high and the angular T3 would make a great design base.

As you can see I like wild speculation but it would be interesting to hear other ideas.

You are right re families being lured away from SUVs - we've had them pretty much since they were invented but quite happy driving around in a "minivan" T7 Cali in a couple of weeks time!

 

[blind_oracle]

I see several comments above re 5-year warranties and Breakdown cover on T7's many late T6.1 came with this level of cover. We wanted a Beach, and having the cooker inside the van rather than in the boot was the no-no for a T7 Beach. Sitting in the rain watching the sea without having to go to the rear to put the kettle on works best for me. I would have jumped the VW ship if I could not have sourced a late T6.1. VW may win new owners to the T7, but I feel many pre T7 owners will be harder to convince.

Just recently we've been making a choice between second-hand T6.1 Ocean which had like 50-60k km mileage and was made in 21-22 (and no warranty obviously) and almost new T7 Ocean (5k km) with 5 year warranty.

It was a hard choice at first, but man, the price was almost the same, maybe 4-5k differnce! We liked some stuff about T6.1 more, of course, but... went for T7 for many reasons, especially the warranty.