I just came back from the Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 and I am suitably impressed. Volkswagen sure knows how to come up with amazing events. I got to experience driving on the actual Sepang International Circuit last week and this time they have an incredible launch gimmick that you have to see for yourself. It’s epic!
Anyway, I went there quite early and strolled around the reception area at Stadium Bukit Jalil before the dome experience started.
They have driving simulators scattered around so you’ll have no shortage of entertainment.
You would not want for food or drink either as there are people going around with trays of intriguing hors d’oeuvres.
I had more than a couple since I haven’t had breakfast. Heh.
There are also Volkswagen Ambassadors walking around with iPads to take your photo – this will be uploaded to dasautoshow.com.my so you can download, tag or share the pictures.
The dome experience is hands down the HIGHLIGHT (no pun intended) of the Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011. You are ushered into a complete spherical dome to see the new offerings of VW and what the future has to offer.
It’s a 30 minute experience that blew me away.
Petra Schreiber, the Marketing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia came on stage riding a futuristic electric scooter. This. Is. The. Future.
The show then started with the latest yet-to-be-released Volkswagen cars been driven right INTO the dome and around it. It rates way up there as one of the coolest launch gimmicks I’ve ever seen. Check out the video – it’s mind-blowing! 🙂
The dome is a complete 360 projection screen so it’s pretty amazing to be bombarded (in a good way) by interactive images everywhere you look. It’s like 3D, wait, 4D, or maybe 5D coz you can smell the exhaust of the cars. It’s the future, yo. 😉
The dome is structurally made with a loop around it so a convoy of cars can drive around it. There are ramps leading up and down too so the cars can get on the stage for a closer look before being driven away again…
…and just when you thought things have ended, a bunch of kids came on stage singing Reach by Gloria Estefan.
…and when you thought that was it, someone stood up on the third row and joined in – it’s Ella! She’s a Malaysian artist, I didn’t see her at the show until she joined in the song. I managed to capture that on video. Sweet.
I also got a photo with Elaine Daly – she was the MC during the event.
This is perhaps the most photographed car during the Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 – The 21st Century Beetle.
It’s a classic and it comes in red. It’ll come to Malaysian shores soon, and I bet the demand would be huge for this.
We literally had to be chased out of the dome coz we were taking so many photos with the VW Beetle. 🙂
The dome experience does not end there – the entire portfolio of existing Volkswagen cars is on display outside.
Golf GTI
I love the Eos convertible. Imagine driving this baby around town.
However, one of the more interesting things revealed in the Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 is that there will be 3 models that will be manufactured in Malaysia! This includes the Passat – and I think localization is a great idea, it’ll drive costs down and make the cars more affordable to the general public.
I went in the morning so the domes are not lit – I heard that the lighting makes the dome much more surreal at night so drop by this weekend if you can. The Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 is at Stadium Bukit Jalil and will be going on from 10-11th September. Head on over for a peek at Volkswagen’s new offerings!
