Watch out for Volkswagen

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

A few years ago, Toyota New Zealand executives threw a few competitors' names in a hat and asked themselves one question: which was the carmaker they most needed to keep an eye on? The name that kept coming up was Volkswagen.

The German company was small fry in New Zealand compared with long-time market leader Toyota.

But Toyota knew VW was pursuing a a growth policy of extending its model range into segments in which it was not previously represented.

The meeting was prophetic: a VW board member, Dr Robert Buchelhofer, visited New Zealand soon after and said that it aimed to increase sales in the Asia-Pacific region by 45 per cent over 10 years. He reckoned the region was untapped.

This was in 1999, five years after VW set up shop for keeps in New Zealand.

So far, so good. In eight years, sales have gone from a handful of Golfs to an expected 1600 models this year. VW likes to say it has grown almost 400 per cent. It no longer makes just a Bug and a hippie van.

Toyota will be watching what VW will do with its latest model, the Touran, a mid-range people-mover, smaller in size than the V6 Sharan.

Again VW isn't a threat to market leader Toyota, but the Touran's appearance on the horizon next year is further evidence of VW's planned growth in all segments, including lifestyle and commercial four-wheel-drive.

VW hasn't made up its mind about the Touran yet. All general manager Dean Sheed will say is that, "We are looking at it. It's available to us."

The Touran, the second multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) from Volkswagen following the larger Sharan, features - like most other models in the segment - a versatile seven-seat interior layout and ample space.

VW gets all gushy and gooey about the name. It says: "Touran is formed from the term 'Tour' and the name 'Sharan'. 'Tour' symbolises travel in comfort over long distances, and the ending '-an' indicates the car's heritage in Volkswagen's multi-purpose vehicles.

"The complete name is representative of the leisure-oriented target group, with its multitude of activities, to whom this new compact midsize-class Volkswagen MPV will appeal."

The Touran, should it make it here next year, will come with a choice of direct-injection petrol engines mated to six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.

The Touran has five seats as standard equipment - the three individual seats in the second row can be repositioned or removed entirely, and the optional third row can be folded into the floor.

VW says the vehicle offers 500 different seating positions and layouts - and is therefore unsurpassed in its versatility. With five seats in use, the load area has a capacity of more than 600 litres. The maximum payload limit is around 650kg.

The fully galvanised body has laser-welded seams and is exceptionally rigid, says VW. It gets front and side airbags for the first and second rows of seats and active front-seat head restraints.

All seven seats come with lap-and-shoulder seat belts. Other safety features include anti-lock brakes and an electronic stability system.

VW says the Touran comes with up to 39 storage spaces - under the seats, in the centre and roof consoles, in the fascia, in the doors and in the load area. There are also cup holders for each row of seats.

The entry-level equipment includes central locking with radio-operated remote control, electrically heated remote-control outside mirrors and electric front-door windows. The Touran features an all-new four-link rear suspension layout.