The TDI Clean Diesel Event.... Has Been Extended!

Great news! Our first ever TDI Clean Diesel Event has been extended till April 30th!

What is the TDI Clean Diesel Event? In case you haven’t caught any VW ads recently, they’re all about our first ever TDI event’s awesome incentives. With the purchase or lease of any new 2013 or 2014 VW TDI model, customers can receive a $1000* Fuel Reward Card plus 0.9% APR** for 60 months. And for those traditional gasoline lovers, 0% APR* for 72 months for the Jetta and Passat, plus a $500 VCI Contract Bonus** for the Jetta, and a $750 VCI Contract Bonus** for the Passat. If these great incentives aren’t enough for you to pull the trigger, take a moment to explore some reasons on why people don’t become just drivers, but Volkswagen lovers.

German Engineering

We hear it all the time… How superior German made automobiles are. But what does that even mean? Does it mean that our vehicles are literally crafted by the hands of gods? That might be a stretch, but what isn’t far fetched is the performance that is commonly associated with the phrase “German Engineering”. The Germans may sacrifice things like number of cup holders, but they won’t sacrifice on how the vehicle will perform. Volkswagen is a German brand, with vehicles that are built to be driven on the Autobahn. In specific areas during clear weather conditions, the Autobahn literally can have no speed limit. So if you’re wondering if you can pass someone on the highway, or quickly get off the on ramp on 495 in a Volkswagen…… You definitely can. 

German Engineering… Continued.

(@spinnawitz's 2011 Audi S4, Veronica)

Speed isn’t the only thing Volkswagen has to offer in terms of your driving experience. The Volkswagen brand has some of the best performance vehicles under one portfolio. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport still holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest road legal production car. Even former Professional Driver and now Director of Driver Management at Spire Sports + Entertainment, Joey Dennewitz exclusively drives vehicles in the Volkswagen family. His current daily driver is a gorgeous Audi S4, his 4th from the Volkswagen Group. What keeps Joey from straying to others? Simple. He expresses, “it straddles the line of performance versus luxury better than any of the others.. Has the right elements of performance without sacrificing the comfort of a daily driver.” The handling “makes any driver feel like a hero.” Isn’t that all we want in life? To have some resemblance of Ricky Bobby? Well for those of us who aren’t blessed with Will Ferrall’s fictitious character’s driving skills, a Volkswagen could very well be the most reasonably priced compromise to enabling that dream.

Do You Think I’m Pretty?

(@alexandriaschub's 2010 VW CC R-Line, C-Bisquit)

Did you know that curb appeal isn’t just a factor for new car sales, but for used as well? Volkswagens tend to hold their value very well, and it’s not just because of what they’ve got going on underneath the hood. Volkswagens maintain their identity, even through redesigns, and stay esthetically pleasing over time. The designs are never too bold or too trendy, so that even after 20 years, our vehicles still look good. Clean and classic designs that are ageless is just another reason why our Passat was ranked Most Appealing Midsize Car by J.D. Power in their Power 2013 Apeal Study. I must agree, the Passat is quite appealing, and definitely very pretty. 

Every Time A VW Hits 100,000 miles, a German Engineer Gets Their Wings

In my previous post, the last ad that was featured was our Super Bowl ad from this past year. It stated that every time a VW hits 100k on the odometer, a German Engineer gets their wings. I wish I could say I’ve seen the wings, but I’ve only been to our American facilities, and I’m assuming the international based engineers must be getting priority for receiving their wings as of right now. But nevertheless, it still doesn’t change the facts. Volkswagen has the most vehicles out on the road with over 100,000 miles on the odometer. That includes TDI’s, 2.5’s, even Mark Zuckerburg has a GTI. (Read this last sentence out loud, it rhymes.. Kind of.) The truth is in the masses, which are out on the road. And we’re not shy at all about it.

Are we closer to getting into that new Volkswagen? Then head out to Stohlman VW in Tyson’s by April 30th to test drive and take advantage of this once in a Jetta’s lifetime event. Until next time, tweet us @stohlmanauto!

Esther Cho

VW Product Specialist

@esther_ch5

*Fuel reward card offer good on purchase or lease of new, unused 2013 and 2014 TDI® Clean Diesel models. This Prepaid MasterCard® fuel reward card is issued by The Bancorp Bank pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC. This Prepaid MasterCard® fuel reward card may be used everywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted. Cannot be redeemed for cash. **APR offer good on new, unused 2013 and 2014 TDI® Clean Diesel models purchased through 4/30/2014. Example: At 0.9% APR, cost of financing for 60 months is $17.05 a month for every $1,000 financed. Available through Volkswagen Credit on approved credit. Down payment may be required. Offers end 4/30/2014. Offers valid in US only. See dealer for details or, for vehicle information, contact 1-800-DriveVW. ©2014 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

*APR offer good on new 2014 Volkswagen Jetta models. Excludes TDI® Clean Diesel models. Example: For 0.0% APR, monthly payment for every $1,000 you finance for 72 months is $13.89. APR offered to highly qualified customers on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers. No down payment required with approved credit. Not all customers will qualify for lowest rate. APR offer ends April 30, 2014. **Volkswagen Credit will give you a $500 Contract Bonus when you purchase a new, unused 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan through participating dealers and finance the purchase through Volkswagen Credit from April 1, 2014 to April 30, 2014. Offer available for retail customers only. Subject to credit approval. Bonus paid towards MSRP and is not available for cash. See your local Volkswagen dealer for financing details or, for general product information, call 1-800-Drive-VW. ©2014 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

*APR offer good on new 2014 Volkswagen Passat models. Excludes TDI® Clean Diesel models. Example: For 0% APR, monthly payment for every $1,000 you finance for 72 months is $13.89. APR offered to highly qualified customers on approved credit by Volkswagen Credit through participating dealers. No down payment required with approved credit. Not all customers will qualify for lowest rate. APR offer ends April 30, 2014. **Volkswagen Credit will give you a $750 Contract Bonus when you purchase a new, unused 2014 Volkswagen Passat through participating dealers and finance the purchase through Volkswagen Credit from April 1, 2014 to April 30, 2014. Offer available for retail customers only. Subject to credit approval. Bonus paid towards MSRP and is not available for cash. See your local Volkswagen dealer for financing details or, for general product information, call 1-800-Drive-VW.©2014 Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Farfegnugen! - Some of My Favorite VW Ads of All Time

Volkswagen Group is one of the biggest automotive manufacturers in world, with brands like Audi, Porsche, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Bentley under our portfolio. We’re known for having fun and efficient vehicles, but did you know that Volkswagen is also a cultural phenomenon? The Beetle for instance is an icon that is easily recognized by most of the world. How did Volkswagen become such a well recognized brand that even non owners can distinguish them? The cars I personally believe sell themselves, but advertising definitely played a key factor in helping Volkswagen become one of the most recognized brands, ever. To pay homage to the great advertising minds that helped put Volkswagen on the map for over 50 years, here’s some of my favorite VW ads of all time. 

1960’s Print Campaign

The very first Beetle was imported in 1949, with the first showroom being established in the mid 1950’s. The Beetle was deemed as a car that was compact, easy to work on, and practical with a low price point. The little German vehicle was definitely different than anything the American consumer had seen before, so to show that we embraced our differences, a somewhat self deprecating, but humorous ad campaign was released. The risk definitely would pay off, considering the Beetle is today still a cultural icon. I mean, who hasn’t heard of Herbie?

Millennium Strikes - New Beetle 

The Beetle took a brief hiatus in the US market with the last Type 1 Beetle Convertible rolling out in 1979. Fast forward to the 1990’s - with Y2K approaching, Volkswagen took this opportunity to redesign and revamp a brand new Beetle, that had the power and features that the average consumer wanted in a new car. What they came up with was the New Beetle, a Beetle for the new Millennium, that hit showrooms in the late 90’s. The TV commercial that really highlighted its reintroduction was the commercial featuring Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way”. It gave a sense of nostalgia while creating buzz for the redesign.

The Rabbit is Back!

The first generation of the Golf was sold in America as the Rabbit in the early 1970’s. This new little hatch was rolled out to be a modern replacement for the Beetle. With the second generation rolling out in 1983, the Rabbit was renamed the Golf and continued to live with that name for over 20 years. In 2006 when the Golf was getting a facelift, Volkswagen wanted to revamp Golf sales, so with the refresh, the Rabbit name was back. VW did a 15 city preview campaign where they had outdoor ads of a few “local” animals and then the Rabbit emblem below with a slogan that said, “Hey insert city name here, the Rabbit is back.” A TV commercial was released with the new Rabbits playing around in a city, mimicking real rabbits. It also featured a modern limited edition version of the Harlequin Rabbit, which paid homage to the mk1 Harlequin Rabbits. The September issue of Playboy also featured the Rabbit, where Playboy model Holly Madison sported a tattoo of the Rabbit emblem on her rear.

The Fast

With the introduction of the new Rabbit also came the introduction of the mk5 GTI. Before the release of the newest GTI generation, VW sent out a survey to a few thousand select VW enthusiasts across America calling it “Project Fast”. The survey was claimed as a “scientific study” about what they believed a Fast was, including the color, size, and shape of the Fast. At the conclusion of the study, a message was sent out associating the Fast with the new mk5 GTI, featuring an aggressive, black, Rabbit like figure. Project Fast created much internet buzz all over the enthusiast world, beginning the mk5’s marketing campaign. For the 2006 Torino Olympics, the Fast figurine was placed all over the Olympic Village for athletes and supporters to rub the Fast to get a little extra fast. With the major sponsorship VW had with the Olympics, TV spots during the game had a slogan of, “Make Friends With Your Fast”. This was a segway to VW’s newest commercials featuring the Fast, the driver’s alter ego, prioritizing the driving experience over absolutely anything and anyone. The buzz to get a Fast was high, and the first 17,000 GTI’s sold came with the little figurine. Since they were becoming so popular and a must have icon, people began selling them on ebay for hundreds of dollars. The Fast is still associated with the GTI, currently even featured in my personal Twitter profile photo. Truly a modern phenomenon, that was created for and by VW enthusiasts. 

Unpimp Your Ride

The mk5 GTI had another amazing ad campaign featuring tuner culture. The GTI was released in 1984 as the original “hot hatch”, but over the years, consumers would take their own economy cars, and apply crazy body kits and tune them into ostentatious vehicles. VW released an ad campaign where German engineers would take a tuner’s car, and “umpimp” their ride. The umpimping process would be some form of destruction of their vehicle, to be replaced by a “pre-tuned” VW GTI. The commercial also would feature a hand sign that was shaped as a V and a W, which would later turn into a well known hand sign throughout the VW world, even to this day. 

Use The Force

The redesigned Passat was released in the Fall of 2011. This new Passat was to be geared for the American market - now built in America (Chattanooga, TN) and having a starting price around $20k. A new and big commercial had to be released to catch the attention of Americans for the new Passat, and what better way to feature it, than during VW’s Super Bowl commercial that year. The commercial of a little kid trying to use “the Force” around the house, and finally believing he had done it when his father uses the remote start for the Passat is heartwarming, and would make any Star Wars fan flip. The Passat was here - and ready to strike back. 

VW Engineers Get Their Wings

VW has always done a great job on Super Bowl ads, but this past year’s ad was probably one of my favorites. The ad featured a new Passat that had reached 100,000 miles, being driven by a father and daughter. The daughter didn’t believe this was a milestone, so the father tells her about how a VW engineer gets their wings every time a VW hits 100,000 miles. The results were hysterical, and it would feature the fact that our brand had the most vehicles out on the road with over 100,000 miles. This would launch a marketing campaign, featuring ads of VW’s hitting over 100k, and the joy it brought consumers. Also, it meant there were a whole lot of German engineers out there with “wingy thingies”. 

So those were a few of my favorite VW ad campaigns. What are yours? Share with us @stohlmanauto. Until next time!

Esther Cho

VW Product Specialist

@esther_ch5