Hey All,

I'm a face booker (And I feel dirty every time I log in) and I recently started following the VW Australia facebook profile, which means that any announcements they make are listed on my wall (profile thingo). Today they posted this

Volkswagen Australia The Australian International Motor Show opens its doors tomorrow at 5pm at Darling Harbour Convention centre, Sydney. And, to thank you - our facebook fans- for all your support and enthusiasm, we have something special for you... Simply by showing your Volkswagen keys at our stand, you can relax in our Owner's section, with complimentary refreshments. You'll also be able to take a look at our newest models, which will be unveiled at the Show.

I think I'm going down on the sunday and I'm gonna flash my bug keys and see what they say.

Who else is in?

lol i got it on facebook as well and will be doing the same on Saturday

I'm going there tonight (opening night). I will take around 300 VW club membership forms to leave on the VW stand, so if you aren't already a member, grab one when you come later.

The two major new cars on the VW stand this year will be the Polo GTI - twin-charger 1.4-litre with 132 kW (that's 177 hp in old talk), and the famous Amarok pickup truck. The Darling Harbour exhibition centre is five 'gallieries' joined together, and the VW stand is in the middle, in gallery 3.

The Sydney Show only happens every two years now, as it alternates with Melbourne.

I'm in Melbourne for the weekend. Argh!!!!

I wonder if they will accept my red battery isolator switch as my key.

Altho I'm in Sydney today for work... literally just down the road at Pyrmont... I unfortunately ain't gonna be able to get there.

For those who do make it tho, please, Please, PLEASE post up as many pics and details on the Amarok as possible !!!

New Tow Vehicle Sides?

It is a shame that they are not bringing the scirocco out to aus in any great numbers. As Clarkson said about it, It is like a golf, but less practical. And that is a good thing!

But the new Polo is a great looking little thing too.

Quote:

Originally posted by sander288 New Tow Vehicle Sides?

that is sweet as.

i will have my iphone so will take some pics

Went to the stand today, and took my car keys (tiguan) and sat in the owners lounge and also had some sandwiches.

I took photos of the amarok for you sides, will post later tomorrow

Awesome... cheers guys - keen to see anything and everything on it.

Little bit disappointed that they're now saying March for availability tho... hopefully it's worth the wait !!!

Anyone gone and tried their old school keys with success? ie

I went on opening night (Fri) - I thought it was a disappointing show after a 2-year wait.

Firstly it costs $20 to get in - $4 more than the last time the show was in Sydney. There's no outside 4WD track this year - last time I enjoyed a ride on a Touareg around the course. No outdoor displays at all. There's no Shannons Classic Car display, normally one of the highlights. The 'aftermarket' area, stands selling car polish, accessories, toys, tools, etc etc (that made the old Moore Park motor show so much fun) is so small it's ridiculous, barely 7 or 8 stands. Then once you get inside, there's no Ferrari, no BMW, no Bentley, no Mini, no Chrysler.

I went to the VW stand first, which was smaller than in previous years - in '08 and '07 they got the 'end' gallery to themselves, but this year they have a rectangular block in gallery 3, in the centre. The cars they have on display are great - Polo GTI, Golf GTI Adidas, Golf Bluemotion. And three Amaroks, including one of the Dakar support vehicles - fantastic. They also had one New Beetle Cabrio (with Wiggles stickers); one Eos, one Jetta, a Passat wagon and a CC, one normal Polo, a couple of Tiguans, one Golf wagon, a Golf 77TDI, and one Multivan. But no Touareg, and no commercial vehicles - no Transporter, or Crafter, and even no Caddy (VW's biggest selling commercial vehicle). VW's stand featured a few backlit VW roundels on the walls, but there was a big blank pale-blue area - surely they should have had 'VOLKSWAGEN' up there in big letters. They had a twin-charger TSI engine and a DSG gearbox to look at, and a strange Bluemotion presentation in a rotating apple-shaped chair, in a mixture of English and German.

I wasn't allowed in the owners lounge as it was a 'VIP function' on Friday night. I showed them my '74 Kombi key - which the woman at the door didn't recognise - then my '95 Golf Mk3 key, which made her frown doubtfully. It's not the modern 'flip-out' radio transponder key that new VWs have. I think they are looking for 'new' current owners - with very late model keys - rather than ancient VWs like most of us have. After all, VWGA is not making any money out of us now, and I don't think they appreciate the goodwill and promotion we give the VW brand.

They don't use dealer staff on the stands - they are industry marketing people who were given 'intensive training' for the show. I casually asked one of the slick sales people "where is this Golf wagon made?" Oh, they all come from Germany, I was smoothly told. Nope, the VIN's 11th digit, 'M', actually means Mexico. Likewise I was told the Polo is also German, but they are made in either South Africa ('U') or Spain ('Y'). I calmly pointed out the VIN codes and told him what they meant - German ones have 'W' for Wolfsburg, 'E' for Emden or maybe 'H' for Hanover. "I'm in the VW Club" I said as a way of explaining, even though I was wearing my club shirt. "I didn't know there was one," he replied. He had never heard of the VW Nationals either - yet VWGA is our biggest sponsor. That's intensive training for you! I guess they're better at paint and upholstery combinations and how to sign up for VW Finance (easy payments).

Again I had difficulty in getting an example of EACH VW brochure they had. There's a 'showroom' brochure that summarises the range, but they also had separate info spec sheets with tech data for each model, but stored 'under' the counter. The young woman behind the counter handed me the summary brochure, but didn't want to part with all the others at once! I eventually got them all by coming back several times and asking several different staff over the evening. I reckon I've been driving VWs and collecting brochures longer than most of the sales staff have been alive, but it got me no favours. By contrast, the lady on the Audi stand gave me everything I asked for, plus a carry bag and a free pen. I found the staff on the VW stand a big disappointment.

After years of putting up with slack, incompetent or non-existant VW sales and promotion from LNC Industries, TKM and Inchcape, now that VW Group Aust is having some sales success I'm detecting some arrogance that should not be there, and some lack of respect for long-time VW owners. A pity, as I enjoyed the VW stand otherwise.

I went yesterday and I got in with a 66 bug key, Dad did too with the keys to the 73 beetle. They were copied keys too - didn't have the VW logo on them either. The 66 did, as it looks like the pic earlier in the thread. The guy at the door just glanced at them and said "In you go".

There was still a private function in there, but I got a free coffee. I then went to the mitsubishi stand and got a free coffee there (I have a 95 magna as a daily drive), so I'm definitely at the low end of their market, but they both were very nice and accommodating to me, though I didn't attempt to get any brochures. Dad was eaves dropping on the german speaking big wigs they had in the lounge, but it was all general chit chat - sorry, no insider info to tell you all!

I loved the look of the new Polo Gti. Even the standard felt nice to sit in. I do think though that it was more crowded than the last one I went to and that the manufacturers should DISABLE THE BLOODY HORNS! Every kid under 5 thought it was hilarious to jump in the drivers seat and blast away though out the day. Either that or the parents should have them on a leash as a condition of entry.

Why have a stand at all when they arent interested in selling their frreaking cars! I've gone to 2 dealers and the vw website asking for a quote on letterhead to send to the lease company and they are seamingly unwilling. Didnt even get a no thanks email in reply. Screw you Volkwagen! I dont want you anymore.

Yes perhaps I made a mistake in going on opening night, when the owners' lounge was unavailable. It sounds like they might have loosened up a bit since - I hope so.

I did see the woman with red hair, and yes she was one who didn't want to give out brochures. There was also an older dark-haired woman and a fellow with glasses, all of them reluctant to part with their brochures. That doesn't make sense to me - surely you WANT people to take your brochures so they buy your cars.

I remember this happened a lot when the deadheads at TKM / Inchcape had the VW franchise back in the early 1990s. VW was barely selling 1,000 vehicles a year here and yet getting brochures off them was like pulling teeth. I'm sure they want to sell VWs now - but from the slack way they've treated Chris they aren't going about it the right way.

Last year's sales figures told the tale (see Sept Zeitschrift) - except for the Golf and the Tiguan, every other VW model's sales went down in Australia in 2009. They need to lift their game.

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