VW Routan to Return Via Oprah

One of the first big scoops I ever landed as an automotive blogger was the story that Oprah was giving away free cars to her audience. My wife just happened to walk by Harpo Studios, which is near her office in Chicago, and filled me in that there were hundreds of cars with bows on them. The giveaway was one of the biggest model-specific promotions ever, and the Pontiac G6 seemingly had Oprah’s stamp of approval.

The same is happening again, except the vehicle being given away is a VW Routan minivan, and there will only be two lucky winners, not 276.

The Routan has been a failure for VW since its launch last year, and many thought production wouldn’t resume at the Chrysler plant where it’s made alongside the Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.

The company hopes Oprah’s stamp of approval will bring some of that Pontiac G6 frenzy to the Routan.

REPORT: VW banking on Oprah giveaway to raise awareness of slow-selling Routan minivans (Autoblog)

2009|Volkswagen|Routan

2009 Volkswagen Routan Video

You probably know the Routan best from the Brooke Shields’ commercials that cheekily suggest women are getting pregnant just to get a Routan. Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder is fine with the ads, right up until Shields starts talking about “German engineering.” To find out why this irks Wiesenfelder — not to mention if Volkswagen’s first foray into the minivan segment is a winner — check out his video review.

2009|Volkswagen|Routan

Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Volkswagen Routan

Right now, the Volkswagen Routan is largely known for its Brooke Shields ad campaign, but can the Routan become a competitor in the minivan segment? Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder explains why he has doubts. It may not be that the Routan is severely lacking in any specific area, but perhaps that the stars are particularly unaligned at the moment for this new Volkswagen model. Oh, and did we mention Routan production has been completely suspended because of slow sales? Perhaps its future has already been written.

2009 Volkswagen Routan Review

2009|Volkswagen|Routan