Volkswagen uses wind turbines to help sell e-Golf – didn’t get Abbott’s memo

To Tony Abbott, they’re “visually awful.” To his Treasurer, they’re “utterly offensive.” So what on earth was Volkswagen thinking when it cast a bunch of offshore wind turbines to star in the advertising campaign for its new all electric VW e-Golf?

Perhaps they were working from the knowledge that the world’s growing need for clean, sustainable and distributed power sources was increasingly being met through wind power?

Perhaps they were inspired by a market whose astounding growth – led by China – was being driven by increasingly competitive electricity generation pricing?

Who knows? Perhaps they think wind turbines look alright – even visually appealing – to a new generation of car consumers who want a greener drive?

Whatever the thinking, VW has chosen to advertise the arrival of its new e-Golf via a series of images of the electric car driving along a coastal road, against a backdrop of offshore wind turbines. (see below)

vs wind vw wind

Like other car makers before them – Peugeot, Mercedes Benz and Ford – VW quite probably thinks pairing its electric vehicle offering with renewable energy technology makes sense. Here the e-Golf is again, plugged into a solar re-charging station.

2015-Volkswagen-e-Golf-108-626x382

After all, the car maker has invested in various wind and solar energy projects around the world, including a 20-year wind farm power purchase agreement in Mexico in 2013, to power its manufacturing facilities in the country exclusively with wind energy.

More than just a pretty technology!

Comments

15 responses to “Volkswagen uses wind turbines to help sell e-Golf – didn’t get Abbott’s memo”

  1. john Avatar
    john

    Oh yes the mental clash is funny

  2. Ken Dyer Avatar
    Ken Dyer

    Ah, the irony. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Australia is years behind in electric vehicles. There are three brands marketed in Australia, and you can usually find them stored down the back of the showroom covered in dust.
    It doesn’t help that the RACV includes electric cars in its latest car running costs release then rates the fuel (electricity) as costly as petrol which is again up to around $1.50 per litre.
    There is no incentive to buy electric vehicles; no requirement for car dealers to stock a zero emissions vehicle; no rebate of sales tax for buying a zero emissions vehicle. It is just another exercise in keeping the people ignorant by the Abbott Government aided by the car dealers whose yards are bulging with fossil fuellers and who make their money from changing oil and charging exorbitant service fees, something that an EV does not need.

    1. john Avatar
      john

      Ken dealers hate the thought of selling EV because exactly as you said “no service fee” so there is no way they will stock or sell these industry close down vehicles.

      1. Miles Harding Avatar
        Miles Harding

        BMW doesn’t have the same issues as Nissan and Mitsubishi do with EVs. This may be because BMW is now offering all inclusive service packages as options, sometimes included in the sale price. The minimal service requirements of EVs are then an advantage.

        1. john Avatar
          john

          I rang Nissan before they knew they were going to sell an EV
          when it came out in AU they told me I could get it for $52k
          joke it was $32 k world wide I cancelled order
          I notice it is now $35 k still a bit above the real price.

  3. juxx0r Avatar
    juxx0r

    Should have used flags in the background. Tony likes Flags.

    I wonder if Tony knows that flags are wind powered?

  4. Chris Fraser Avatar
    Chris Fraser

    Hey easy on the use of offshore turbines. Tony wants everything on the water to be considered invaders and not discussed in public.

  5. Ian Avatar
    Ian

    Kinetic sculptures- beautiful wind machines….

  6. Jacob Avatar
    Jacob

    Did they bother with over the air updates though?

  7. Alan S Avatar
    Alan S

    Advertisers use a backdrop to suit the product and how they want it to be perceived – such as a Jeep in front of Hazlewood.

    1. john Avatar
      john

      Typical myopic product

  8. disqus_3PLIicDhUu Avatar
    disqus_3PLIicDhUu

    VW is advertising Mercedes, with their spinning emblems in the background.

  9. DogzOwn Avatar
    DogzOwn

    How proud do we feel about ArmagAbbott and Robb’s fanaticism about cheapness, for everything about Australia, even when Blind Freddy can see they’re all about price, blatantly disregarding cost, and never about value?

  10. chris hicks Avatar
    chris hicks

    australia should be building houses fully equipt with sola to run the whole house electicity needs all year round on the roof of the house and connected to wind turbine energy for night time running it could save a lot of carbon in the air we breath come on australia demand this and lets be the leaders in this world .

  11. Les Johnston Avatar
    Les Johnston

    Dont worry, COALition is advertising the horse and cart as a means of cutting carbon emissions!

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