Sluggish sales could spell end of VW Routan

Despite prominent, if controversial, advertising featuring actress Brooke Shields as a spokeswoman, Volkswagen's Routan minivan has hardly been a sales success. Just 5,582 2009 Routans have found buyers since the start of production last fall and more than 16,000 sit unsold on VW lots across North America despite the fact that no Routan has been built since last year.

"We launched Routan at the worst moment," VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News, referring to the van's launch last fall as auto sales tumbled across North America.

The Routan is essentially a rebadged Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town & Country. Until production stopped in December, it was built alongside those minivan staples in Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant. Chrysler has cut two of the three shifts at its Windsor plant to keep pace with demand, reflecting soft demand across the industry.

It's hard to blame the van itself, however, as the Chrysler and Dodge-badged variants are actually doing fairly well in light of a weak overall market. Town & Country sales are down 39 percent year-to-date, while Grand Caravan sales are down "just" 29 percent this year. By comparison, Toyota Sienna sales are down 42 percent and Honda Odyssey sales are down 39 percent.

VW hasn't said when Routan production will begin again, though it Jacoby said that the automaker hasn't made a decision on whether a second-generation Routan will ever appear.