The Volkswagen Routan is a seven-seat rebadged variant of the RT minivans with revised styling, content features and suspension tuning.
Manufactured alongside the Chrysler and Dodge minivans at Windsor Assembly and marketed in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the Routan debuted at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and went on sale in the United States in September 2008.
The Routan's minivan variants include the Dodge Caravan, Ram C/V, Chrysler Town & Country, and Chrysler Grand Voyager (export)—that by 2009 have ranked as the 13th bestselling automotive nameplate worldwide, with over 12 million sold.

The Routan marked the start of Volkswagen's business strategy to offer additional vehicles specially developed for the U.S. market.
The introduction of the 2008 model year minivan resulted from a partnership that began in 2005 between Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler.
Prior to the agreement, Volkswagen had no minivan model for the United States or Canadian markets.
The Routan is sold only in North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico).

The automaker's intent with outsourcing production the Routan to Chrysler was to avoid the significant expense of developing its own family-sized minivan.
VW announced in an early 2008 projection that the company intended for the Routan and other models to help achieve significant expansion of U.S. sales.
The Routan was Volkswagen's first van offered in North America since discontinuation of the Volkswagen Eurovan in 2003, and is not related to the European-market Volkswagen Touran or Sharan.

The Routan features a rebranded version of Chrysler's hard drive-based audio and navigation system—marketed by Chrysler as the MyGig system and by Volkswagen as the Joybox, but has neither Chrysler's Stow'n Go nor Swivel'n Go seating systems.
 Instead, the second row seats in the Routan  feature the Easy Out Roller Seat system, but can be modified using Chrysler or Dodge parts to have Stow'n Go or have Swivel'n Go seats installed.
Routans as of 2010 offer optional Wi-Fi access, which was also offered in Dodge and Chrysler versions as UConnect Web.

VW of America had projected for the Routan to gain at least five percent of the U.S. minivan market, or 45,000 units of the 700,000 minivans sold currently.
In January 2009, VW of America asked Chrysler Canada to stop production of the Routan for the month of February after 29,000 Routans had been shipped to US dealerships.
By July 2009, 11,677 units had been sold.
In 2012, Volkswagen halted production of the Routan at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, plant, despite having a production contract that ran through 2014.
In January 2013, Volkswagen announced there would be no 2013 retail model, but held open the possibility that development may resume with a potential 2014 model.
The 2013 Routan was reserved for fleet purchasers, and 2,500 were produced by Chrysler during the calendar year.

Automotive industry analysts were not surprised by VW's decision to drop the Routan because buyers had no reason for selecting the Routan over the similar Dodge Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Routan's base price of nearly $28,000 was far more than the basic $21,000 Grand Caravan, while the Routan's list of equipment was less than included on the upscale Town & Country.
The Volkswagen Routan is a seven-seat rebadged variant of the RT minivans with revised styling, content features and suspension tuning. Manufactured alongside the Chrysler and Dodge minivans at Windsor Assembly and marketed in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the Routan debuted at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show and went on sale in the United States in September 2008. The Routan's minivan variants include the Dodge Caravan, Ram C/V, Chrysler Town & Country, and Chrysler Grand Voyager (export)—that by 2009 have ranked as the 13th bestselling automotive nameplate worldwide, with over 12 million sold.
The Routan marked the start of Volkswagen's business strategy to offer additional vehicles specially developed for the U.S. market. The introduction of the 2008 model year minivan resulted from a partnership that began in 2005 between Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler. Prior to the agreement, Volkswagen had no minivan model for the United States or Canadian markets. The Routan is sold only in North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico).
The automaker's intent with outsourcing production the Routan to Chrysler was to avoid the significant expense of developing its own family-sized minivan. VW announced in an early 2008 projection that the company intended for the Routan and other models to help achieve significant expansion of U.S. sales. The Routan was Volkswagen's first van offered in North America since discontinuation of the Volkswagen Eurovan in 2003, and is not related to the European-market Volkswagen Touran or Sharan.
The Routan features a rebranded version of Chrysler's hard drive-based audio and navigation system—marketed by Chrysler as the MyGig system and by Volkswagen as the Joybox, but has neither Chrysler's Stow'n Go nor Swivel'n Go seating systems.  Instead, the second row seats in the Routan  feature the Easy Out Roller Seat system, but can be modified using Chrysler or Dodge parts to have Stow'n Go or have Swivel'n Go seats installed. Routans as of 2010 offer optional Wi-Fi access, which was also offered in Dodge and Chrysler versions as UConnect Web.
VW of America had projected for the Routan to gain at least five percent of the U.S. minivan market, or 45,000 units of the 700,000 minivans sold currently. In January 2009, VW of America asked Chrysler Canada to stop production of the Routan for the month of February after 29,000 Routans had been shipped to US dealerships. By July 2009, 11,677 units had been sold. In 2012, Volkswagen halted production of the Routan at Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, plant, despite having a production contract that ran through 2014. In January 2013, Volkswagen announced there would be no 2013 retail model, but held open the possibility that development may resume with a potential 2014 model. The 2013 Routan was reserved for fleet purchasers, and 2,500 were produced by Chrysler during the calendar year.
Automotive industry analysts were not surprised by VW's decision to drop the Routan because buyers had no reason for selecting the Routan over the similar Dodge Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Routan's base price of nearly $28,000 was far more than the basic $21,000 Grand Caravan, while the Routan's list of equipment was less than included on the upscale Town & Country.
Chrysler minivans (RT)