2009 Detroit Auto Show: VW--The people's press conference

Volkswagen violated almost every rule in my press conference handbook at the 2009 Detroit auto show. While I admit that auto journalists can be pampered prima donnas, the faults I find with VW have nothing to do with coddling and everything to do with bewilderment at not grasping the fundamentals that could ensure a clear understanding of its showcased product. Hear me out…

In true German automaker fashion, VW execs trotted out sales figures and goals. Sure, such figures can be measure of a company’s vitality, but to an industry audience such mind-numbing trivia just gobbles precious minutes away from the unveiled product. Really, we all know how the companies are doing.

Germans love numbers, so they ran through them twice, each time with a bit of variance that left more than a few of us puzzled and questioning the wisdom in quoting them. But, hey, we’re here for the product.

Sure enough, out rolls a cool roadster, joined by a handful of hip-hop dancers and a bass-rich urban beat. Yes, Volkswagen pitched its sports car to a graying journalism group with a presentation best appreciated by Detroit teenagers--an audience that was neither in attendance nor likely to purchase such a model. Whatever.

The unstructured, flat floor arrangement without seating--a common configuration for all German automakers--meant much of the crowd numbering in the hundreds couldn’t see the car, let alone photograph it. And that is kind of the purpose for many attendees.

Then the presentation took an odd twist, with a presenter slipping into Italian for several minutes--for no apparent reason. Amid this culture clash, we were left struggling to glean insights about this intriguing car. Following the random sound bites on screen, all I saw was hollow clichés and contradictory figures. Ultimately, our report is based on checkable materials found online at the VW media site. We used the digital information for drafting our show preview, since the press kit (usually the definitive source for facts, figures, and insights) held nothing beyond three glossy photographs. Yes, prints. As in the kind no media outlet would ever scan for publication, or be able to use in a report from the field. But hey, at least I know what the car looks like now.

A few gripes: The AMERICAN press materials online are riddled with metrics. No one’s on VW’s staff to make these conversions? And the executive speeches I was specifically told would be online are not.

Grrr.

Admittedly, the car in question is sharp, even if VW’s PR effort wasn’t. Wish I could tell you more.

Read our Volkswagen BlueSport report.

--Jeff Bartlett

See Consumer Reports' coverage of the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Comments

[McLoffs]

VW doesn't understand seem to understand the American car market; why should it be expected to understand how to put on a press conference?

[Ben]

This is the same company that produced the ads with Brooke Shields about people having babies just so they could buy a minivan. Such an epic fail in so many ways, my other half told me that we will never purchase the Routan based solely on the awful commercials. It's too bad really, because I think that if VW had their stuff together in marketing, they would be really successful.

[Denis]

I would paraphrase Jeff's comment the following way :

"A few gripes: The 'CR Test Reports' online are riddled with 'US units'. No one’s on 'CR’s' staff to make these conversions?"

Even the government (as in slow-moving) www.fueleconomy.gov website managed to support BOTH units systems many years ago. CR's website is like the USA auto-makers : so 20th century my dear!

[Paul]

Wow, an insipid article to say the least. Your English & Communication backgrounds are showing. VW is the #3 automaker in the world and while I agree they misjudge the U.S. market at times, they are obviously successful worldwide.

How a person can attend the Detroit Auto Show, witness VW roll out a 2 seat roadster and chose to fill his column with inane comments and not give any real details on the car astound me.

I do agree with the earlier comments on the Shield's ads - not sure what VW America is thinking sometimes.