VW Dropping Routan Minivan?

Volkswagen AG is phasing out its slow-selling Routan minivan and shifting its attention to a new crossover set to debut next month at the Detroit auto show, Leftlane News reports.

The Routan, sold only in North America, is a mildly restyled version of a Chrysler minivan. Several media outlets quote officials at the Canadian plant that builds the Routan as saying VW opted not to renew its contract with Chrysler to supply the vehicles.

The Routan debuted in 2008 but never attracted big sales volumes. Demand for the vehicle peaked at 16,000 units in 2010 but fell to 12,500 units last year. Sales through the first 11 months of this year slumped to 9,900 down 17% from the same period in 2011.