Rabbit redux

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SCOTT JAGOW: Something old, something new. Volkswagen is reviving a classic from its vault. Andrea Gardner reports.

ANDREA GARDNER: Remember that adorable little hatchback from the 70s, the Rabbit? Well, it’s back.

Slow sales of the VW Golf prompted the change. So the automaker redesigned the Golf, and slapped on the new name.

Auto analyst John Wolconowicz with the firm Global Insight says Baby Boomers are more likely to remember the old Rabbit’s quality and styling problems.

But, it’s a different tale for 20-somethings.

JOHN WOLCONOWICZ: If you’re a younger person, a Gen Y for example, you’ve never heard of the original Rabbit, and just about every Gen Y I’ve talked to has said, yea, cool name.

And, the revived Rabbit will cost about a thousand dollars less than the Golf.

Wolconwicz says that should help the VW race against Honda in the affordable car market.

I’m Andrea Gardner for Marketplace.