‘Volkswagen On Tour’ comes to Penang

volkswagen us

I caught up with the inaugural ‘Volkswagen On Tour‘ brand showcase that took place in Penang last week. We actually went twice coz it was so much fun! Admittedly, the first time was a bit of a short session coz I had to sort out my hotel and other things after I got stuck on the Penang Bridge after running out of gas. Haha!

bicycle popcorn

There is popcorn, test drives, and a play pen for the kids. This all comes at a rather reasonable admission fee – it’s free! Yup, it’s the classic Volkswagen hospitality in action here, which I’ve experienced to my delight on a trip to Germany last year.

polo r wrc
The Polo R WRC that just won the FIA World Rally Championships 2013

Volkswagen On Tour‘ will literally tour the entire nation – there are 13 stops all over Malaysia, so it’ll be coming to a place near you soon! It’s an invitation to everyone for an exclusive brand experience right at your doorstep.

volkswagen tour penang

It’s a lot of fun, I managed to catch the press conference where Ms Petra Schreiber (Director of Marketing & Communications, Volkswagen Malaysia) was holding court and fielding questions from the media.

driving gti simulator

I went back again the next day. I wanted to collect all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that forms a coaster. There are a lot of activities you can do at the ‘Volkswagen On Tour’ roadshow – my favorite being the Golf GTI simulator.

gti simulator

This isn’t something that you can get to see in arcades – the setup is so realistic that your *entire bucket seat* moves and you really get thrown around a bit if you drive into gravel beside the virtual track at high speeds. I know people who set up expensive steering wheel and pedal combos to play racing simulation games at home.

driving simulator

Prepared to be blown away! You’ve never seen anything like this. There are even pistons to move your seat around the 3-screen immersion Golf GTI simulator – you really get the exhilaration of driving on track that I actually flinched when I made a fast and tight corner. 🙂

gti puzzle

You get a piece of the puzzle that forms a coaster after you experience each station.

popcorn challenge

There is another interesting one called Popcorn Challenge which uses a clean source of energy (namely, you) to power a popcorn machine. A stationary bicycle is hooked up and your kinetic energy from pedaling the bike makes the corn pop.

popcorn

You can have the satisfaction of eating the popcorn that you’ve just made with your own energy after that too!

shout out loud

There is also an interactive station called Shout Out Loud where you can rally four (4) people to speak into each of the microphones at each corner of a model city to light it up. The louder you are, the more intense the blue light becomes.

think blue wall

It’s a brilliant way to showcase their ‘Think Blue.’ philosophy which is all about fuel efficiency and educating the public on carbon emissions for a sustainable future, as well as how Volkswagen is applying it to their award-winning automotive technology for a better tomorrow. Guess which one is the message we wrote?

ISOFIX

There are exhibits where you can familiarize yourself with Volkswagen’s advanced safety technology like their range of child safety seats and ISOFIX (child seat anchor). This would be of interest to parents with small children or people who’re planning to have kids!

kids station

There is a place for kids to learn and play too, which is great for parents with small children. The kids can have age-appropriate fun and learning while you get your own fun and learning in…test driving the latest Volkswagen models!

test drive

It’s the most popular station so remember to sign up early while you wait your turn.

volkswagen test drive

There’s also a ‘Volkswagen On Tour’ photo contest where you can snap a photo of yourself with a complete coaster puzzle.

interactive stations

You can get each piece of the puzzle by going to each of the stations (Popcorn Challenge, Test Drive etc) and after you’ve completed it, the redemption counter will give you a free gift for completing all the stations.

Volkswagen On Tour

You just need to post a photo of yourself with the complete coaster with the #VolkswagenOnTour hastag on either Instagram or Facebook and tag @VolkswagenOnTour or the Volkswagen Malaysia Facebook page respectively (remember to follow the accounts first) and stand a chance to win one of nine prizes, including an extended two week test drive with any of your favorite Volkswagen models!

coaster puzzle

It’s really a lot of fun for the whole family and you get to experience the latest (and eat some popcorn you made with your own energy while you’re at it).

volkswagen tour schedule

We had a blast and we’re looking forward to the Selangor stop of the tour! ‘Volkswagen On Tour‘ will be heading to 13 locations nationwide between now till March 2014. Get more details about the stop nearest to you at www.volkswagenontour.com.my.

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14 thoughts on “‘Volkswagen On Tour’ comes to Penang”

    • I’ve never thought of Volkswagen as an old brand! 🙂

      The Beetle maybe but the new model is already ingrained in my mind. It’s a fun roadshow, this one, and best of all admission is gratis! It’s still in Penang but will swing down to KL soon!

      Reply
    • Good luck to you mate! 🙂

      Yeah, I’ll love to get a VW next time too, probably the Passat would be the most realistic but deep down I’ll like something that ends with a GTi. Haha!

      Reply
    • It’s *still* going on in Penang mate! 🙂

      The Volkswagen On Tour roadshow is now at Sunway Hotel Carpark in Penang. It’ll be there till 29th December 2013 so you can still go this weekend! Hope that helps!

      Reply
    • Yeah, I think that showcase was to highlight how much energy is required to do something! 🙂

      There are also devices sold out there where you can fully charge your cell phone in 20 minutes by casually cycling. Luckily, the Popcorn Challenge is much easier. Haha.

      Reply
  1. wah, the interactive stuff is certainly pretty cool. although it’d be kinda sad if i end up passing out from exhaustion before my popcorn even pops! maybe someday we’d have this as a home appliance, eh … working out on a stationery bike to turn our TV on, boil our water, keep our lights running 😀

    Reply
    • Yeah, it is pretty cool eh? 🙂

      There are devices like that being sold right now! I have a DIY one where which you can attach to a bicycle to fully charge a cell phone with 20 minutes of cycling! It’s quite cool really.

      It just shows how much energy we waste everyday, so having an eco-friendly is the way to go! That’s what Think Blue is all about, yeah, that would be an interesting future eh?

      Reply
    • Yeah, that’s my car of choice too! 🙂

      I love the Golf GTI although if I was to be realistic, a Passat would better suit my needs! I can still have one when I’m 40 though. Haha!

      Reply
    • It’s currently all in Peninsula Malaysia! 🙂

      No worries, you always come over anyway, you can just time your visits to hit one of the KL tours!

      Reply

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