The new 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit reminds me that we had a pet rabbit when I was a kid. He was a fine companion, and this fact made it easy to overlook his flaws, which included a sometimes chilly disposition and a very nervous bladder. He died unexpectedly. We were sad for weeks.
Volkswagen also had a Rabbit that died. This one was a hatchback born in Germany as the Golf in 1974 that came to North America as the Rabbit in 1975. It was a big success, and VW built an assembly plant in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, to begin making them in 1978. The Rabbit multiplied and 200,000 cars were produced in 1980.
But the Rabbit had quality problems and started to look like a Chevy Malibu and people lost interest. Finally the Rabbit died in 1985. Volkswagen closed the American plant and re-embraced its German heritage, renaming the car the Golf.
Read Article