Volkswagen Launches The New Santana

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Yesterday, a car developed (mostly) for and (mostly) in China was presented at a gala event in Wolfsburg. Volkswagen celebrated the new Santana, and Volkswagen’s lucky entry into the Chinese market some 30 years ago. That’s also how long the old Santana lasted. It was time to replace it, and the time was yesterday.

In 1979, an unannounced Chinese government delegation showed up at Wache Sandkamp, the main gate of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg. They were sent to Germany to find a joint venture. Their first stop was (then) Daimler-Benz, where they were treated with less than the expected enthusiasm.

They asked what those other cars on the road were. They were told they were Volkswagens. When the translator said it means “the peoples’ car” the faces of the Chinese lit up, and a train to Wolfsburg was boarded. At a later meeting, current and future Volkswagen were lined up in the Raederhalle in Wolfsburg, the Chinese pointed at the Santana, said “this one” and the rest was history.

The new Santana can be had with ABS, front, side and head airbags, ESC electronic stabilization, air conditioning or automatic climate control, electric sliding sunroof, alloy wheels, parking sensors and leather upholstery.

The Santana is powered by naturally-aspirated four-cylinder specimens of the newly developed EA 211 gasoline engine series. With 16-valve technology and integration of the exhaust manifold in the cylinder head, these engines deliver 28 percent better fuel economy.

The 1.4-liter version produces 90 hp, the 1.6-liter version makes 110 hp. The new Santana will be built at SAIC in Shanghai. Volkswagen did not say whether it rests on the PQ24 or PQ25 platform, guaranteeing that the topic will keep TTAC readers sleepless for years to come.



Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Daveainchina Daveainchina on Oct 30, 2012

    Hopefully it will replace the taxis here in Shanghai soon. The Santana as it is here, just feels like a deathtrap to me.

  • Mark45 Mark45 on Oct 31, 2012

    Do they get real Leather upholstery or the V-Tex Leatherette?

  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
  • Wjtinfwb I've owned multiple Mustang's, none perfect, all an absolute riot. My '85 GT with a big Holley 4 barrel and factory tube header manifolds was a screaming deal in its day and loved to rev. I replaced it with an '88 5.0 Convertible and added a Supercharger. Speed for days, handling... present. Brakes, ummm. But I couldn't kill it and it embarrassed a lot of much more expensive machinery. A '13 Boss 302 in Gotta Have It Green was a subtle as a sledgehammer, open up the exhaust cut outs and every day was Days of Thunder. I miss them all. They've gotten too expensive and too plush, I think, wish they'd go back to a LX version, ditch all the digital crap, cloth interior and just the Handling package as an add on. Keep it under 40k and give todays kids an alternative to a Civic or WRX.
  • Jpolicke In a communist dictatorship, there isn't much export activity that the government isn't aware of. That being the case, if the PRC wanted to, they could cut the flow of fentanyl down to a trickle. Since that isn't happening, I therefore assume Xi Jinping doesn't want it cut. China needs to feel the consequences for knowingly poisoning other countries' citizens.
  • El scotto Oh, ye nattering nabobs of negativism! Think of countries like restaurants. Our neighbors to the north and south are almost as good and the service is fantastic. They're awfully close to being as good as the US. Oh the Europeans are interesting and quaint but you really only go there a few times a year. Gents, the US is simply the hottest restaurant in town. Have to stand in line to get in? Of course. Can you hand out bribes to get in quicker? Of course. Suppliers and employees? Only the best on a constant basis.Did I mention there is a dress code? We strictly enforce it. Don't like it? Suck it.
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