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| (November- VW Drive Experience with AMCI on Pacific Coast Highway Rt. 1) |
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| (April- @_JonEmerson picking up his '13 GTI) |
Convincing My Best Friend to Buy a GTI
Convincing your loved ones to buy your product is no easy task. Your allegiance to a brand can come off as biased, especially if that brand is cutting your paychecks.
My best friend from college paid me a visit last year. Jon and I bounded in our collegiate years through our mutual love of hip hop music and anything automotive. He explained to me that the lifespan of his current whip was nearing the end. He was set on getting a Honda Civic SI prior to visiting me, but after a long night of wine and discussing the clear benefits of the GTI, I could tell he was beginning sway. Being the pushy friend that I am, the next day I took him to Stohlman to do some test driving. After spending 15 minutes in a 2012 6-speed manual GTI on the back roads of Vienna, he was sold.
My best friend from college paid me a visit last year. Jon and I bounded in our collegiate years through our mutual love of hip hop music and anything automotive. He explained to me that the lifespan of his current whip was nearing the end. He was set on getting a Honda Civic SI prior to visiting me, but after a long night of wine and discussing the clear benefits of the GTI, I could tell he was beginning sway. Being the pushy friend that I am, the next day I took him to Stohlman to do some test driving. After spending 15 minutes in a 2012 6-speed manual GTI on the back roads of Vienna, he was sold.
At the beginning of this year, Jon let me know that he had stayed in touch with the sales staff at Stohlman, and would be returning to DC to pick up his brand new GTI over Easter. Moral of the story? When recommending a Volkswagen to a friend or family, force them to test drive. The car will sell itself.
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| (February- Happy Golf TDI owner @WashAutoShow) |
Meeting Happy Consumers
Besides convincing loved ones to become owners, nothing makes me happier than interacting with current happy VW owners. 2013 was extremely rewarding for me since I was fortunate enough to interact with owners at auto shows and VW sponsored events across the U.S. From old Vanagon drivers to brand new Passat owners, folks would frequently feel the urge to run up to our display to share their love for VW.
This was no different at the Washington DC Auto Show. A very proud Golf TDI owner could not stop raving about the fuel economy he was achieving to us. You could see his face light up the more he spoke about how much he enjoyed driving the Golf, and how many miles he was getting per gallon. He even had a photo on his phone from when he had achieved 61.6 mpg with his Golf, and continued to share his story with other consumers around the display. There's no better marketing than word of mouth from current to future owners.
This was no different at the Washington DC Auto Show. A very proud Golf TDI owner could not stop raving about the fuel economy he was achieving to us. You could see his face light up the more he spoke about how much he enjoyed driving the Golf, and how many miles he was getting per gallon. He even had a photo on his phone from when he had achieved 61.6 mpg with his Golf, and continued to share his story with other consumers around the display. There's no better marketing than word of mouth from current to future owners.
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| (June- Brooklyn bound on Manhattan Bridge in '12 Touareg) |
V-Dubbin' in the City that Never Sleeps
One of the biggest life changes I had in 2013 was moving from DC to NYC. My main market working for Volkswagen was the Northeast Region, so it made sense for me to live in Manhattan for the remainder of my contract. For a driver, Manhattan is a nightmare. The traffic is brutal, the roads are horrible, and parking is impossible. My Jetta was perfect to keep in Manhattan, because it would fit perfectly in those tight street parking spots. The Touareg however came up on top in terms of comfort whenever I had to drive from borough to borough. True story, I saw potholes deeper than kiddie pools whenever I drove past Queens, which made me happy that I had the Touareg's tight suspension and high clearance to absorb those treacherous roads.
Although driving through NYC was a terrifying ordeal, there were specific areas that I did enjoy. The Franklin D Roosevelt East River Drive (FDR Highway) was fantastic when driving back into the city late at night. It's a fun 9.44 mi. stretch to drive at high (but appropriate) speeds with amazing views of the East River, Queens, and Brooklyn. My other favorites were the bridges going in and out of Manhattan, more specifically the George Washington Bridge, The Brooklyn Bridge, and Verrazano Narrows Bridge. These are considered some of the most beautiful bridges in the world, and the view out of a Volkswagen Panoramic Sunroof while driving across is no joke. I would definitely go out of my way to cross these bridges, rather than go through the Holland or Lincoln Tunnel. Who wants to go underground, anyway?
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| (December- XL1 Concept Car) |
Concepts Galore!
Volkswagen definitely had some show stopping concept cars this year.
The XL1 will go into limited production for mainly the European market, so unfortunately for the U.S. market, this will be a car that most will not see anytime soon. I however did see it twice during its little U.S. tour, once at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, and again at Volkswagen of America Headquarters in Herndon, VA. The 2 seater's claim to fame is that it only takes 1 liter to drive 100 kilometers. In American translation, that's approximately 235 mpg, or the capability of driving from DC to NYC on one gallon of diesel. The maximum fuel economy for the XL1 is estimated to be around 261 mpg.
The XL1 will go into limited production for mainly the European market, so unfortunately for the U.S. market, this will be a car that most will not see anytime soon. I however did see it twice during its little U.S. tour, once at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, and again at Volkswagen of America Headquarters in Herndon, VA. The 2 seater's claim to fame is that it only takes 1 liter to drive 100 kilometers. In American translation, that's approximately 235 mpg, or the capability of driving from DC to NYC on one gallon of diesel. The maximum fuel economy for the XL1 is estimated to be around 261 mpg.
The CrossBlue and CrossBlue Coupe` were unveiled in the U.S. at the Detroit Auto Show. The CrossBlue is a 3 row passenger SUV concept, whereas the CrossBlue Coupe` is a similar but more stylish large SUV concept. Both the CrossBlue and Coupe` concepts were designed based on the MQB platform. The concepts featured a plug-in diesel hybrid system, with potential of 89 mpg with the plug-in diesel hybrid system. The CrossBlue Coupe` featured a plug-in gasoline hybrid system at the LA Auto Show. Rumor has it that a 3 row passenger SUV like the CrossBlue concept is on the top of Volkswagen's priority list for the U.S. market. When and what it exactly will be is still undisclosed.
My favorite concept this year was the Design Vision GTI. My first encounter was at H20i, a VW enthusiast event, in Ocean City, MD this past September. This was a real treat to our loyal enthusiasts, for this was the North American debut for this ultimate machine. The V-6 engine contained a monstrous 503 hp at 6500 rpm, with 413 lb-ft of torque. Based on the mk7 GTI, it sat pretty on the MQB platform with 20 inch wheels, equipped with All Wheel Drive. Volkswagen says the Design Vision GTI reaches 62 mph in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 186 mph. Being that it is an ultimate fantasy VW, it will unfortunately have to remain in our dreams since there are no plans for production.
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| (June- '12 Golf R and '12 Touareg in NYC) |
V-Dub Love... Literally
I apologize in advance to my boyfriend for sharing our story without warning.
After dating many non-car enthusiasts over the years, meeting Scott was a refreshing change. I met his dad at a VW sponsored Washington Capital's game in 2012, where he shared with me that his son was a Certified VW Sales Consultant for Stohlman. This was a coincidence for me since I always brought my VW to Stohlman to be serviced. I loved their service department because of the care I received from their service staff, and how informative their advisors and technicians were. During a longer scheduled service, I decided to introduced myself to Scott so that I could borrow a loaner car through him. We became friends, after bonding over our passion for the brand. As fate would have it, we started dating May of 2013. This past Fall, we worked on our first project together, installing an APR Carbonio Cold Air Intake System into a Jetta GLI. On a smaller scale, we also built a VW Type1 Camper Van Lego set. We did not fight during either projects, so we hope to do more Volkswagen related projects together in the future.
With only a few days left in 2013, what are some special memories that you and your Volkswagen may have shared this past year? Tweet us @stohlmanauto and share with us your 2013 "Das Auto" story. Until next time.. in 2014!
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| (July- Max, the infamous '64 Beetle and I in DC) |
Esther Cho
Volkswagen Product Specialist
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