Re: Skoda and Audi Family?

[Bryan Kamerer <kamerer@concentric.net>]

At 08:57 PM 11/10/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Both are owned by VW.
>The Skoda Octavia is similar to the Passat and A4, but
>cheaper.  
>-- 
>Dan Simoes                                dans@ans.net
>ANS Communications 		http://coimbra.ans.net/dans.html
>100 Manhattanville Road                 (914) 701-5378 (voice)
>Purchase, NY 10577                      (914) 701-5310 (fax)
>
>
        Oddly enough, a half page diagram of all this dropped on my desk
today!  I hope this chart comes out OK on the various e-mail systems.  The
Octavia is on the A3 platform, what VW calls "A."  These are the commmon
platforms and model introduction/replacement dates through 2000.  Perhaps
some folks would be interested:


year/Platform           AO              A               B/C             D
Other

1994                    VW Polo                                         A8


1995                                                    A4
VW Sharan (sp?)
                                                                            
            SEAT Alhambra

1996                                    A3              Passat
L80 light truck
                                        Skoda Octavia   A4 Estate

1997                    SEAT            Golf IV         A6
New LT (LCV) (?)
                        Aroso                           Passat Estate
                        Polo Estate

1998                    VW Lupo         Audi TT, TTS    A6 Estate
                                        Vento
                                        Golf IV Estate
                                        SEAT Toledo
                                        Beetle

1999                                    Golf Compact    Audi/VW SUV (?)
                                        Minivan
                                        Golf Coupe

2000                    Audi AL2                        Passat Plus
                        (platform not fixed)

        This is from Salomon Bros. Equity Research on Volkwagoen, 10 Nov.
1997.  They also point out that a special law was passed this year exempting
VW from the corporate reorganization laws passed earlier this year.  The
effect was to enhance the voting rights of the state of Lower Saxony, which
holds a 20% stake in VW.  This way the government retains control without
having to buy the company, and in the process renegs on its liberlaization
promises and screws the other individual and corporate shareholders.  
        
        In VW's defense, they have never hinted that they expected to be
freed from the archaic German rules which really hobble management.
However, investors thought there was a high chance of this and didn't know
until this week that the Justice Ministry was going to stab them in the back
so as to curry favor with local politicians in Lower Saxony.

Guess Uncle Sam isn't the only really slimy political outfit out there!


        Bryan Kamerer
        NYC
        '91 V8 5 spd.