The Volkswagen Connection: Setting the Stage for a New Era

There's an insightful article at The Auto Buzz (
[url]http://theautobuzz.blogspot.com[/url] ):

Germany is the home to an automobile industry that is admired and
respected worldwide. Their products range from low to high end, with
almost every manufacturer commanding respect in their target
demographics. From the success of introducing the world's first
luxury marque at Mercedes-Benz, to pioneering the mix of luxury-sport
at BMW AG, almost all German automobiles are revered. Lately, however,
there has been one sore thumb in the almost exclusive group. That would
be the long-heralded heritage of home-grown Volkswagen AG.
Volkswagen, literally "people's car," has been producing vehicles
in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their
first concept. Their niche was once to build a car that the everyday
Aryan could afford, and to bring strength by empowering their people to
commute cheaply and effectively where they needed to go. Today,
Volkswagen is much more, representing an entry-level German nameplate
for automobile owners to get the trademarks set by every German
automobile: great styling, great handling, and prohibitively expensive
repairs.

Their product repertoire includes several historical namesakes from
previous generations, as well as modern day contenders in the 21st
century automobile market. The New Beetle and the Jetta are
Volkswagen's entry level vehicles for German beginners. Moving up the
chain brings you the Passat and the Golf, for European luxury in
midsize prices. At the top of the chain brings the near-luxury Touareg
(German for "SUV") and Phaeton (German for "German Luxury").
What Volkswagen wants you to forget, however, is their rich lineage
which spawned today's vehicles.

Founded in 1932 by the famed Nazi leader, his first project was to
design a vehicle which would aid in building the strength of the
fascist state. The car would be built to mimic the symbolic ideals of
the cult-like ruling Nazi party. The Beetle, it was to be called, would
be Volkswagen's first foray into enabling the Nazi leaders to commute
to battle meetings to coordinate the death of the Allies. Throughout
the War of Europe and subsequently World War II, Volkswagen earned the
Nazi regime heavy profits due to its rapid expansion and slave labor.
This, in turn, allowed Volkswagen to expand plants to newly-acquired
German territory in Russia, as well as Czechoslovakia.

After the crumbling of the Nazi party, and effectively the entire
German social structure in 1945, Volkswagen was left without its
founder and entire management structure. Influenced by the opportunity
of quick expansion, wealthy British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Sr.
invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the plants to retool them
for postwar production throughout Europe. Volkswagen was then reborn to
make models that would carry its rich heritage to nations left
unaffected by its founder.

Throughout the 1950's, 60's and 70's, the world went through
major changes as a global economy started trickling into every nation.
In America, the first truly global market was the automotive industry,
fueled by the brand new vehicles brought in from Germany and beyond.
Volkswagen was no exception to this rule, as their first American bound
models started trickling in around the 1950's.

Its first product was simply called "Bus," and was basically a
bread basket with wheels. Sales of the original Bus were not high
enough to justify the cost of importing, but that would soon change as
a brand new segment got a glimpse into Volkswagen's targeted
demographics. The "hippies," as they would come to be known, began
to pick up on Volkswagen's styling cues which harkened back to the
days of Nazi Communism. As the popularity of the Bus spread throughout
infested areas such as Southern California, more and more Volkswagen
Busses were seen on the streets and in movies.

Soon, Volkswagen had a new idea to spread its hidden message: The Bug.
Literally "Utopian Car," Volkswagen's first compact was produced
to empower communists to, relatively cheaply, travel to remote
protesting locations to spread their company motto. In fact, from
1965-1967, within every glove box was the motto, written on a
wallet-sized card, reading "To spread the wealth and prosperity of
automobiles to every class and introduce change in leadership," a
rarely-mentioned fact from Volkswagen history.

The trendy Bug spread like wildfire across America during a
particularly tumultuous time, the Vietnam War. Having an affordable
vehicle was a necessity for individuals protesting the war and
spreading Volkswagen's philosophy, and the Bug enabled those people
to do just that. While building a car so inexpensively would not seem
profitable to most companies in the industry, which is why there was
little competition to the Bug, the enabler for Volkswagen was simple.
Slave labor had helped construct the Bug from start to finish, almost
completely contradicting the message of the owners of the vehicle.

Fast forward to today and little has changed in Wolfsburg. Not only was
the original Beetle produced until July 21st, 2003, Volkswagen has
emerged as a fashion statement for neo-Nazis with a lineup of vehicles
true to their corporate culture. The New Beetle, in a throwback move,
arrived in 1999, bringing modern class amenities to a 55 year old
ideology. In another nontraditional move, Volkswagen has also brought
"diesels" into many of its passenger cars in America, such as the
lower class Jetta and Passat. Gains for Volkswagen with diesels are
tied in many ways, mainly back to Germany's large diesel fuel
exporting economy.

Unfortunately, as the message of Nazism has been spread to America on
so many fronts by a company so large, it is often hard to stop them
all. America's last two presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,
have done nothing to stop the influx of Nazism by the large German
company, for fear of reprisal from a generally tame Germany. This can
go on no longer, however. It is time to start putting the pressure on
leaders in America and in the E.U. to tolerate neo-Nazism no longer. We
must shut Volkswagen down to keep the world safe from a third World
War. Fascism is a double edged sword, but if we kill it before it
spreads to countries such as the Middle East, we will still have a
chance.

It is important to recognize the affect that Volkswagen has had on
shaping the modern culture in America and worldwide. Without the cheap,
effective method of transportation, the Nazi leaders in WWII may well
have lost much earlier, preventing the loss of hundreds of thousands of
Allied lives. Even today, the damage being done cannot be tolerated.
Volkswagen refuses to sever its ties with the Nazi messages inherent in
its Beetles, and thus it is time to bring an era of fascism and racism
to an end. Please do your part in ending this sore chapter in modern
life and write your representatives.

This CR@P is not worthy of a response!!!

Jack G.

"Bodero" <bodero1@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1120244939.178616.95050@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> There's an insightful article at The Auto Buzz (
> [url]http://theautobuzz.blogspot.com[/url] ):
>
> Germany is the home to an automobile industry that is admired and
> respected worldwide. Their products range from low to high end, with
> almost every manufacturer commanding respect in their target
> demographics. From the success of introducing the world's first
> luxury marque at Mercedes-Benz, to pioneering the mix of luxury-sport
> at BMW AG, almost all German automobiles are revered. Lately, however,
> there has been one sore thumb in the almost exclusive group. That would
> be the long-heralded heritage of home-grown Volkswagen AG.
> Volkswagen, literally "people's car," has been producing vehicles
> in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their
> first concept. Their niche was once to build a car that the everyday
> Aryan could afford, and to bring strength by empowering their people to
> commute cheaply and effectively where they needed to go. Today,
> Volkswagen is much more, representing an entry-level German nameplate
> for automobile owners to get the trademarks set by every German
> automobile: great styling, great handling, and prohibitively expensive
> repairs.
>
> Their product repertoire includes several historical namesakes from
> previous generations, as well as modern day contenders in the 21st
> century automobile market. The New Beetle and the Jetta are
> Volkswagen's entry level vehicles for German beginners. Moving up the
> chain brings you the Passat and the Golf, for European luxury in
> midsize prices. At the top of the chain brings the near-luxury Touareg
> (German for "SUV") and Phaeton (German for "German Luxury").
> What Volkswagen wants you to forget, however, is their rich lineage
> which spawned today's vehicles.
>
> Founded in 1932 by the famed Nazi leader, his first project was to
> design a vehicle which would aid in building the strength of the
> fascist state. The car would be built to mimic the symbolic ideals of
> the cult-like ruling Nazi party. The Beetle, it was to be called, would
> be Volkswagen's first foray into enabling the Nazi leaders to commute
> to battle meetings to coordinate the death of the Allies. Throughout
> the War of Europe and subsequently World War II, Volkswagen earned the
> Nazi regime heavy profits due to its rapid expansion and slave labor.
> This, in turn, allowed Volkswagen to expand plants to newly-acquired
> German territory in Russia, as well as Czechoslovakia.
>
> After the crumbling of the Nazi party, and effectively the entire
> German social structure in 1945, Volkswagen was left without its
> founder and entire management structure. Influenced by the opportunity
> of quick expansion, wealthy British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Sr.
> invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the plants to retool them
> for postwar production throughout Europe. Volkswagen was then reborn to
> make models that would carry its rich heritage to nations left
> unaffected by its founder.
>
> Throughout the 1950's, 60's and 70's, the world went through
> major changes as a global economy started trickling into every nation.
> In America, the first truly global market was the automotive industry,
> fueled by the brand new vehicles brought in from Germany and beyond.
> Volkswagen was no exception to this rule, as their first American bound
> models started trickling in around the 1950's.
>
> Its first product was simply called "Bus," and was basically a
> bread basket with wheels. Sales of the original Bus were not high
> enough to justify the cost of importing, but that would soon change as
> a brand new segment got a glimpse into Volkswagen's targeted
> demographics. The "hippies," as they would come to be known, began
> to pick up on Volkswagen's styling cues which harkened back to the
> days of Nazi Communism. As the popularity of the Bus spread throughout
> infested areas such as Southern California, more and more Volkswagen
> Busses were seen on the streets and in movies.
>
> Soon, Volkswagen had a new idea to spread its hidden message: The Bug.
> Literally "Utopian Car," Volkswagen's first compact was produced
> to empower communists to, relatively cheaply, travel to remote
> protesting locations to spread their company motto. In fact, from
> 1965-1967, within every glove box was the motto, written on a
> wallet-sized card, reading "To spread the wealth and prosperity of
> automobiles to every class and introduce change in leadership," a
> rarely-mentioned fact from Volkswagen history.
>
> The trendy Bug spread like wildfire across America during a
> particularly tumultuous time, the Vietnam War. Having an affordable
> vehicle was a necessity for individuals protesting the war and
> spreading Volkswagen's philosophy, and the Bug enabled those people
> to do just that. While building a car so inexpensively would not seem
> profitable to most companies in the industry, which is why there was
> little competition to the Bug, the enabler for Volkswagen was simple.
> Slave labor had helped construct the Bug from start to finish, almost
> completely contradicting the message of the owners of the vehicle.
>
> Fast forward to today and little has changed in Wolfsburg. Not only was
> the original Beetle produced until July 21st, 2003, Volkswagen has
> emerged as a fashion statement for neo-Nazis with a lineup of vehicles
> true to their corporate culture. The New Beetle, in a throwback move,
> arrived in 1999, bringing modern class amenities to a 55 year old
> ideology. In another nontraditional move, Volkswagen has also brought
> "diesels" into many of its passenger cars in America, such as the
> lower class Jetta and Passat. Gains for Volkswagen with diesels are
> tied in many ways, mainly back to Germany's large diesel fuel
> exporting economy.
>
> Unfortunately, as the message of Nazism has been spread to America on
> so many fronts by a company so large, it is often hard to stop them
> all. America's last two presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,
> have done nothing to stop the influx of Nazism by the large German
> company, for fear of reprisal from a generally tame Germany. This can
> go on no longer, however. It is time to start putting the pressure on
> leaders in America and in the E.U. to tolerate neo-Nazism no longer. We
> must shut Volkswagen down to keep the world safe from a third World
> War. Fascism is a double edged sword, but if we kill it before it
> spreads to countries such as the Middle East, we will still have a
> chance.
>
> It is important to recognize the affect that Volkswagen has had on
> shaping the modern culture in America and worldwide. Without the cheap,
> effective method of transportation, the Nazi leaders in WWII may well
> have lost much earlier, preventing the loss of hundreds of thousands of
> Allied lives. Even today, the damage being done cannot be tolerated.
> Volkswagen refuses to sever its ties with the Nazi messages inherent in
> its Beetles, and thus it is time to bring an era of fascism and racism
> to an end. Please do your part in ending this sore chapter in modern
> life and write your representatives.
>[/color]

Jack G wrote:[color=blue]
> This CR@P is not worthy of a response!!![/color]

Sure it is!

[url]http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2005/Unreliable1.asp[/url]

And the loser as are ...
Now to the heart of the matter. These cars earned the lowest rates in
Consumer Reports 2004 reliability survey. They are listed by category,
with vehicles in scoring order beginning with the worst score. The 2005
survey will be available in March and those models might be better ...
or not.
a.. Small Cars: Volkswagen Golf (turbo), Volkswagen Jetta (turbo),
Volkswagen New Beetle
b.. Sporty Cars/Convertibles: Hyundai Tiburon, Mercedes-Benz CLK,
Volkswagen Cabrio, Mazda RX-8, Chrysler Sebring Convertible
c.. Sedans: Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Jaguar S-Type, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar
X-Tyle, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz C Class (V-6), Volvo S60
(AWD), Saab 9-3, Pontiac Grand Prix (supercharged), Volkswagen Passat
(AWD), BMW 5 Series
d.. Sport-Utility Vehicles: Land Rover Freelander, Lincoln Navigator,
Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90, Nissan Armada, Chevrolet Blazer, Ford
Excursion, Hummer H2, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Chevrolet
TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Ford Expedition, Saturn Vue

On Fri, 01 Jul 2005 12:08:59 -0700, Bodero wrote:
[color=blue]
> There's an insightful article at The Auto Buzz (
> [url]http://theautobuzz.blogspot.com[/url] ):[/color]

<snipperooo...>
[color=blue]
>
> It is important to recognize the affect that Volkswagen has had on shaping
> the modern culture in America and worldwide. Without the cheap, effective
> method of transportation, the Nazi leaders in WWII may well have lost much
> earlier, preventing the loss of hundreds of thousands of Allied lives.
> Even today, the damage being done cannot be tolerated. Volkswagen refuses
> to sever its ties with the Nazi messages inherent in its Beetles, and thus
> it is time to bring an era of fascism and racism to an end. Please do your
> part in ending this sore chapter in modern life and write your
> representatives.[/color]

UGH! Volkswagens SUCK! Plain and simple! Well engineered, well designed,
but they should hire a Japanese company to actually BUILD them, using
Japanese parts!

How many recalls/strandings did the Manager at the CarQuest I worked at
have? How many did I have with my brand-new '85 Jetta?

I'd buy a 15 YO Toyota before I even LOOKED at another VW (oh, wait, I
already DID!)

"Travis Jordan" <no.one@no.net> wrote in message
news:e9ixe.153805$581.94628@fe05.news.easynews.com...[color=blue]
> Jack G wrote:[color=green]
> > This CR@P is not worthy of a response!!![/color]
> Sure it is!
> [url]http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2005/Unreliable1.asp[/url]
> And the loser as are ...
> Now to the heart of the matter. These cars earned the lowest rates in
> Consumer Reports 2004 reliability survey. They are listed by category,
> with vehicles in scoring order beginning with the worst score. The 2005
> survey will be available in March and those models might be better ...
> or not.
> a.. Small Cars: Volkswagen Golf (turbo), Volkswagen Jetta (turbo),
> Volkswagen New Beetle
> b.. Sporty Cars/Convertibles: Hyundai Tiburon, Mercedes-Benz CLK,
> Volkswagen Cabrio, Mazda RX-8, Chrysler Sebring Convertible
> c.. Sedans: Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Jaguar S-Type, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar
> X-Tyle, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz C Class (V-6), Volvo S60
> (AWD), Saab 9-3, Pontiac Grand Prix (supercharged), Volkswagen Passat
> (AWD), BMW 5 Series
> d.. Sport-Utility Vehicles: Land Rover Freelander, Lincoln Navigator,
> Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90, Nissan Armada, Chevrolet Blazer, Ford
> Excursion, Hummer H2, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Chevrolet
> TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Ford Expedition, Saturn Vue
>[/color]

The mechanic I go to routinely once told me:

"Volkswagen drivers think their cars are absolutely wonderful. And I know
this because they're frequently here in my shop, telling me how wonderful
their Volkswagen is. I love 'em, too."

He looked kinda sad when I told him I was selling mine. Come to think of
it, I no longer visit him "routinely." Hmmm...

Bodero wrote:[color=blue]
> There's an insightful article at The Auto Buzz (
> [url]http://theautobuzz.blogspot.com[/url] ):[/color]

So what's the big deal?

Prescott Bush profited from Nazi enterprise... then he became a
Senator!
[color=blue]
>
> Germany is the home to an automobile industry that is admired and
> respected worldwide. Their products range from low to high end, with
> almost every manufacturer commanding respect in their target
> demographics. From the success of introducing the world's first
> luxury marque at Mercedes-Benz, to pioneering the mix of luxury-sport
> at BMW AG, almost all German automobiles are revered. Lately, however,
> there has been one sore thumb in the almost exclusive group. That would
> be the long-heralded heritage of home-grown Volkswagen AG.
> Volkswagen, literally "people's car," has been producing vehicles
> in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their
> first concept. Their niche was once to build a car that the everyday
> Aryan could afford, and to bring strength by empowering their people to
> commute cheaply and effectively where they needed to go. Today,
> Volkswagen is much more, representing an entry-level German nameplate
> for automobile owners to get the trademarks set by every German
> automobile: great styling, great handling, and prohibitively expensive
> repairs.
>
> Their product repertoire includes several historical namesakes from
> previous generations, as well as modern day contenders in the 21st
> century automobile market. The New Beetle and the Jetta are
> Volkswagen's entry level vehicles for German beginners. Moving up the
> chain brings you the Passat and the Golf, for European luxury in
> midsize prices. At the top of the chain brings the near-luxury Touareg
> (German for "SUV") and Phaeton (German for "German Luxury").
> What Volkswagen wants you to forget, however, is their rich lineage
> which spawned today's vehicles.
>
> Founded in 1932 by the famed Nazi leader, his first project was to
> design a vehicle which would aid in building the strength of the
> fascist state. The car would be built to mimic the symbolic ideals of
> the cult-like ruling Nazi party. The Beetle, it was to be called, would
> be Volkswagen's first foray into enabling the Nazi leaders to commute
> to battle meetings to coordinate the death of the Allies. Throughout
> the War of Europe and subsequently World War II, Volkswagen earned the
> Nazi regime heavy profits due to its rapid expansion and slave labor.
> This, in turn, allowed Volkswagen to expand plants to newly-acquired
> German territory in Russia, as well as Czechoslovakia.
>
> After the crumbling of the Nazi party, and effectively the entire
> German social structure in 1945, Volkswagen was left without its
> founder and entire management structure. Influenced by the opportunity
> of quick expansion, wealthy British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Sr.
> invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the plants to retool them
> for postwar production throughout Europe. Volkswagen was then reborn to
> make models that would carry its rich heritage to nations left
> unaffected by its founder.
>
> Throughout the 1950's, 60's and 70's, the world went through
> major changes as a global economy started trickling into every nation.
> In America, the first truly global market was the automotive industry,
> fueled by the brand new vehicles brought in from Germany and beyond.
> Volkswagen was no exception to this rule, as their first American bound
> models started trickling in around the 1950's.
>
> Its first product was simply called "Bus," and was basically a
> bread basket with wheels. Sales of the original Bus were not high
> enough to justify the cost of importing, but that would soon change as
> a brand new segment got a glimpse into Volkswagen's targeted
> demographics. The "hippies," as they would come to be known, began
> to pick up on Volkswagen's styling cues which harkened back to the
> days of Nazi Communism. As the popularity of the Bus spread throughout
> infested areas such as Southern California, more and more Volkswagen
> Busses were seen on the streets and in movies.
>
> Soon, Volkswagen had a new idea to spread its hidden message: The Bug.
> Literally "Utopian Car," Volkswagen's first compact was produced
> to empower communists to, relatively cheaply, travel to remote
> protesting locations to spread their company motto. In fact, from
> 1965-1967, within every glove box was the motto, written on a
> wallet-sized card, reading "To spread the wealth and prosperity of
> automobiles to every class and introduce change in leadership," a
> rarely-mentioned fact from Volkswagen history.
>
> The trendy Bug spread like wildfire across America during a
> particularly tumultuous time, the Vietnam War. Having an affordable
> vehicle was a necessity for individuals protesting the war and
> spreading Volkswagen's philosophy, and the Bug enabled those people
> to do just that. While building a car so inexpensively would not seem
> profitable to most companies in the industry, which is why there was
> little competition to the Bug, the enabler for Volkswagen was simple.
> Slave labor had helped construct the Bug from start to finish, almost
> completely contradicting the message of the owners of the vehicle.[/color]

yeah yeah...
[color=blue]
>
> Fast forward to today and little has changed in Wolfsburg. Not only was
> the original Beetle produced until July 21st, 2003, Volkswagen has[/color]

so?
[color=blue]
> emerged as a fashion statement for neo-Nazis with a lineup of vehicles
> true to their corporate culture. The New Beetle, in a throwback move,[/color]

corporate culture of neo-nazis??
[color=blue]
> arrived in 1999, bringing modern class amenities to a 55 year old
> ideology. In another nontraditional move, Volkswagen has also brought
> "diesels" into many of its passenger cars in America, such as the
> lower class Jetta and Passat. Gains for Volkswagen with diesels are
> tied in many ways, mainly back to Germany's large diesel fuel
> exporting economy.[/color]

so they want to sell diesel. good for them.
[color=blue]
>
> Unfortunately, as the message of Nazism has been spread to America on
> so many fronts by a company so large, it is often hard to stop them
> all. America's last two presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,[/color]

heh... don't see Bubba Clinton and W in the same light very often...
[color=blue]
> have done nothing to stop the influx of Nazism by the large German
> company, for fear of reprisal from a generally tame Germany. This can[/color]

I think it has more to do with the Iraqi quagmire -- whose roots go
back hellulot father dog
[color=blue]
> go on no longer, however. It is time to start putting the pressure on
> leaders in America and in the E.U. to tolerate neo-Nazism no longer. We
> must shut Volkswagen down to keep the world safe from a third World[/color]

dude... Iraq?
[color=blue]
> War. Fascism is a double edged sword, but if we kill it before it
> spreads to countries such as the Middle East,[/color]

The Middle East is a country?

we will still have a[color=blue]
> chance.[/color]

Before? hahahahaha (sorry I know you're being serious)
[color=blue]
>
> It is important to recognize the affect that Volkswagen has had on
> shaping the modern culture in America and worldwide. Without the cheap,
> effective method of transportation,[/color]

A lot of folks may not have been empowered with cheap wheels
[color=blue]
> the Nazi leaders in WWII may well
> have lost much earlier, preventing the loss of hundreds of thousands of
> Allied lives. Even today, the damage being done cannot be tolerated.[/color]

Tell me where you got that shit. I don't wanna smoke any.
[color=blue]
> Volkswagen refuses to sever its ties with the Nazi messages inherent in
> its Beetles,[/color]

such as?
[color=blue]
> and thus it is time to bring an era of fascism and racism
> to an end.[/color]

yeah -- but bugs don't have much to do with it my man...
[color=blue]
> Please do your part in ending this sore chapter in modern
> life and write your representatives.[/color]

Hey... see the group name? We're mostly TOYOTA drivers.

HTH