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Chrysler slows minivan production, hasn't built VW Routan this year

Chrysler has slowed production of its Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans this week, Automotive News reports. The Windsor, Ontario plant will cut its three shifts from eight hours each to four hours each in an effort "to align production with market demand," a Chrysler spokesperson told AN. Chrysler also builds the closely related Routan minivan for Volkswagen at its Ontario facility, but has not built a single example thus far in 2013.
Sales of Chrysler's minivans fell 15 percent for the first two months of 2013, and a large part of that has to do with the 26-percent drop of the Grand Caravan alone (the T&C was only down by one percent). According to Automotive News data, as of March 1, Chrysler had an unsold inventory of 24,713 Town and Country models and 18,547 Grand Caravans - a 69- and 43-day supply, respectively.
"No sense running full speed now, then have a lot of vehicles sitting around a few months down the line," Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson told AN. Full production is expected to resume again on March 18.

VW redoes A-ha's 'Take On Me' music video

Volkswagen has been responsible for its fair share of witty, clever commercials. "Tiny Vader" might be the most popular, but somehow, we think this newest spot will find a big audience. VW delivers not so much a cover, but a reimagining, of 1980s Norwegian pop band A-ha's famous music video for "Take On Me."
The original opens with an animated motorcycle race, which is revealed to be part of a comic book. VW's version replaces the motorcycle with a Passat, which strikes us as an oddly sober choice when there are cars like the GTI and Beetle in VW's portfolio. But never mind that - take a look down below for the entire 46-second spot. For reference, we've also included the original music video. And if you aren't a fan of the musical stylings of A-ha, just think, VW's choice of 1980s music could have been much worse.

VW launches special edition Touareg X

Volkswagen is no stranger to special editions, but its Touareg SUV has remained largely unspecial in terms of exclusive trims or unique packages. That's changed with the announcement of the Touareg X, a 1,000-unit run based on the V6 TDI Lux trim - mid-range diesel model, between the navigation-equipped TDI Sport and the TDI R-Line.
The already special Touareg gets 19-inch "Moab" wheels, LED taillights (to go along with its LED DRLs) and "Touareg X" badging, while all 1,000 units will be painted Moonlight Blue Pearl. Tweaks in the cabin are equally light, with a black-on-black-on-black color scheme dominating - black Vienna leather, a black headliner and piano black trim. Aluminum bits make an appearance in the form of the door sills and pedals, although that's about it.
Other than those few aesthetic tweaks, the Touareg X is equipped largely like the Touareg Lux on which it's based. That means navigation, a panoramic sunroof, power seats, LED running lights, dual-zone air conditioning and heated power seats, among other tech pieces. Pricing starts at $56,170, making for a slight bump of $1,195 over the standard Touareg Lux.