Volkswagen’s 800-Vehicle Car Towers in Germany
The Autostadt is a visitor attraction adjacent to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, with a prime focus on automobiles. It features a museum, pavilions for the Volkswagen Group’s major brands (VW owns Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti) and two incredible Car Towers.
Each tower is a 60 meter/200 ft tall glass silo used as storage for new Volkswagens. The two towers are connected to the Volkswagen factory by a 700 metre underground tunnel. When cars arrive at the towers they are carried up at a speed of 1.5 metres per second. When purchasing a car from Volkswagen (the main brand only, not the sub-brands) in select European countries, it is optional if the customer wants it delivered to the dealership where it was bought or if the customer wants to travel to Autostadt to pick it up. If the latter is chosen, the Autostadt supplies the customer with free entrance, meal tickets and a variety of events building up to the point where the customer can follow on screen as the automatic elevator picks up the selected car in one of the silos. The car is then transported out to the customer without having driven a single meter, and the odometer is thus on “0″.
The two Car Towers (AutoTurme) can be explored in an air-conditioned panoramic glass lift. These highrise garages, each housing 400 new vehicles, are the heart of vehicle delivery at the Autostadt. Inside, patented technology helps transport the new Volkswagen vehicles in and out of their parking bays at a speed of two metres per second.
In the panoramic glass lift a guide adjusts the tempo to halfspeed and the tower discovery begins. You are taken to the observation deck on the 20th floor. From here you have a view of the largest car manufacturer in Europe, the town of Wolfsburg and southeastern Lower Saxony.
New Vocab:
Please use the following words in the following sentences:
Adjacent, silo, dealership, the latter, highrise, patent, bay
- Otis Redding had a classic soong called “Sitt’ in on the Dock of the ______ .
- My uncle doesn’t like the established _____________, he says they are too expensive and he prefers to buy second hand.
- You have 2 choices, black and white. If you choose __________ the it will be difficult to always keep it clean.
- Technology _________ is a multi billion dollar industry in this emerging market.
- Every large building has deep _____ in its structure.
- ____________ to Palau de la Musica there is a great café called Al Sur.
- New York is a city famous for __________ buildings and skyscrapers.
Discussion:
If you were given you option would you pick up the car?
Do you like Volkswagen?
Can you remember the recent Volkswagen TV ad?
Video:
What makes a good TV advertisement? Think about ones you have seen. Use some of these words.
clever, interesting, funny, inspiring, eye-catching, original, powerful, strange, shocking, informative, sexy, controversial.
Video: The Force: Volkswagen Commercial
What does this ad tell you about the car?
What is the message in the ad?
How does it make you feel?
Do you think this is good advertising?
Video: Black Beetle: Volkswagen Commercial
What does this ad tell you about the car?
What is the message in the ad?
How does it make you feel?
Do you think this is good advertising?
Discuss the following :
People remember advertisements, not products
Advertising has a bad influence on children
Advertising tells you a lot about the culture of a particular society.
Advertising exploits people`s fears and worries.
