Words About Things

Like most automotive companies Volkswagen are looking to the future and designing electric vehicles. Unlike most Volkswagen already have a design classic under their belts in the form of the iconic Beetle. The Volkswagen eUp! (complete with unessential punctuation) owes a debt to the Beetle in terms of style and ambition.

The eUp! aims to have widespread appeal in order to become “the Beetle of the 21st century”. This should come as a surprise from a company whose name translates as ‘the people’s car’.  By the time the eUp! comes out in 2013 there should be quite a lot of competition in the electric car market although it may have the stats to make it stand out:

The range is expected to be up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) on an overnight 230-volt charge for the five hours when electricity is cheapest while you’re asleep. Charged in this way, the E-Up! could be driven 100 kilometres for just two Euros in electricity costs (about 14 Euro cents per kWh). This would be the equivalent of driving 62 miles on $2.97 worth of electricity at $0.20 cents a kwh (McMansion Californian electric rates), or about like buying gas for $1.50 in a 31 mpg car.    – gas2.org

The eUp! is the smallest VW to date at only 3.19 meters long and 1.64 meters wide. Hopefully this vehicle will lead to Volkswagen creating other, larger electric vehicles across their range. With van emissions being clamped down upon we need more electronic vans for sale.

You may have seen the Volkswagen viral video doing the rounds of a staircase in Sweden which was transformed into a giant piano to encourage people to use it rather than the escalator. Like me you may have wondered how the video related to VW vans and cars. A little digging brought up the site thefuntheory.com which explains:

“This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.”

There are several video so far all of which feature innovative ways to encourage people to do things which may benefit the environment. In one of the videos a bin is adapted so that it makes a sound like an object being dropped down a deep well:

The site will be accepting home made videos from next week with whoever creates the best set to win 2500 Euros. The campaign was created by DDB Stockholm to draw attention to some of the more ecologically friendly features of the latest Volkswagens.

Sales of used Volkswagen campervans are booming in the UK thanks to the recession. The VW Transporter has been a cult classic since it was launched almost 60 years ago with used models in good condition often selling for big bucks. Now the camper van’s appeal appears to be widening with sales up 250% this summer.

It has been suggested that the rise of ‘staycations’ where people holiday in the UK to save money may be fueling the rise in sales. Consumer specialist Dominic Harrison of the Future Foundation belives that the recession is causing people to reconsider their work/life balance and consider taking time off work or working fewer hours.

“The recession is causing many to ask serious questions about their habits and work life.”

Applications to test drive new Volkswagen Van models have also risen by 200% according to a company spokesman.

As you will have noticed it is the 40th anniversary of the moon landings this month. Seeing footage of the takeoff what struck me was the cameras people were using to photograph it.  It seems strange that we were able to fly people to the moon and back before the invention of the humble digital camera. We were able to see live footage of the astronauts bouncing around on the moon’s surface before the invention of the mobile phone.

What is also surprising is that the Volkswagen Beetle was 31 years old at the time of the moon landings. To put that in context the Ford Escort was in production for 30 years in total, the original Beetle was built until 2003.

Volkswagen have always had a reputation for creating (or, I suppose, commissioning) great adverts. Car adverts tend to range from the offensive to the boring to the bafflingly rubbish. They can rarely be called subtle although I think the Volkswagen one below is. The tag line is ‘it’s ugly but it gets you there’. Some would argue that some of the VW vans for sale are less attractive than the Beetle but either way you get the idea.