Post by VWCA_Adman on Jul 15, 2022 12:43:13 GMT -6

By Tom Janiszewski
My parents took me to the Chicago Auto Show for the first time in 1983. They weren’t in the market for a new car. They took me simply because I wanted to go. At the time, they didn’t own a Volkswagen, so this was really the first time I got to look closely at and sit in new Rabbits (including convertible and Pickup models), Mk.1 Jettas, Sciroccos, Quantums, Vanagons and Campers.
It’s worth noting that each one of the models was also available in Germany, albeit with subtle differences to meet European equipment and safety requirements.
I already had an interest in the air-cooled models, but this was the beginning of my interest in contemporary models. I was in awe of not only the cars, but also of the elaborate displays highlighting vehicle features, their uniqueness, German flair, practicality and fun-to-drive qualities. I noticed early on how the display complemented the style and messaging of their sales literature, print ads and TV commercials. It took just one visit to the Chicago Auto Show, and I’ve gone every year since.

As the years passed, there was usually always something exciting to see at the VW display. To this day, nothing has surpassed the level of excitement when the New Beetle made its Chicago debut in 1998. Aside from the cars, interactive games offered prizes like VW T-shirts, hats and pins. You could wait in line as an injection-moulding machine slowly churned out plastic New Beetle pen holders (the machine actually made its debut in ’93 and churned out EuroVans). A slot car track featured VW Golfs that folks could race. There was always something fun to see or do.

To augment the static car display, VW constructed an indoor Baja track using 384,000 pounds of rock and featured landscaping giving the track its off-road-look. Professional drivers provided 3-5 minute rides for more than 15,000 visitors to highlight the capabilities of the all-new, five-seater Atlas Cross Sport. Unveiled at a press event at the Chattanooga plant in October, this was the first time it was on display in Chicago. While the track wasn’t running during the media preview, a number of Cross Sports were on display on the track decked out in bright orange, blue and green body wraps. The colors were a welcome departure from the usual color palette cars come in these days.


The Beetle was conspicuously absent as 2019 was its last model year. This is also the first time in generations where no convertible was on display. There’s no convertible in the lineup nor on the horizon. The Golf SportWagen is gone, perhaps a victim of the elimination of the TDI engine, which seemed to be the wagon’s secret sauce that convinced some people to eschew an SUV for a high-mileage wagon.

There was a time where at least a couple models in the lineup were unmistakably a Volkswagen, different from what the competition was selling, and something I could not wait to bring home. Volkswagen of America was founded on importing a little German car at a time when it was the polar opposite of what Americans were buying. The company used ground-breaking advertising to convince Americans that their odd little car might be the right car for them.
But I am still optimistic…
As I walked away from the 2020 display, I reminded myself that there is some new product coming that could inject more of that VW DNA into the product range. The production version of the I.D Buzz (please name it Microbus, VW) is on the horizon, and the new electric car platform in production now in Germany promises to offer a wide range of models to amp up the excitement and bring some uniqueness back to the US lineup.
