Volkswagen Takes A Painful Stab At The Hybrid, But Did They Hit The Nail On The Head?

Volkswagen has been on a roll lately with quite a few memorable commercials on the internet and TV.

If it isn't a little Darth Vader miraculously starting a Passat with the "force", or a dad awkwardly teaching his son how to throw baseball, then there are more than a few out there to choose from that might strike a humorous cord with the viewer.

One of the most recent takes a jab at the typical hybrid on the road, and possibly may have hit a little too close to home for those owners. After all you typically buy a hybrid to be "green" not blaze down the road at speed, but the commercial does strike an interesting chord to the more socially aware buyer.

Do people avoid some hybrids because they are too embarrassing to own?

Check out the ad below and let us know if Volkswagen may have stumbled on to something.

ErnestHouse - 4/11/2013 10:19:26 AM

+1 Boost

Not everyone who likes performance cars is a Jeremy Clarkson. It should come as no surprise that there are those who want to drive hybrids who are not dully focused on just miles per gallon. This is a classic dumbly not seeing the forest for the trees.

Hybrids capable of performance actually help reduce consumption and emissions more than just their specs. In delivering performance only when demanded and doing it with electric power, they also save by taking gas guzzling CO2 spewing cars off the road. Something the dull minded Prius' et al will never do.

I think the VAG hybrid powertrain that puts all the power on the same side of the transmission and AWD is superior to the BMW and Lexus approach of adding motors and complexity and weight. That gives VAG the flexibility to tune for performance and/or something that will actually attain or exceed the EPA ratings (Touareg/Porsche Hybrids vs Q5). Unfortunately, Audi is sitting there on it's thumbs non-marketing the Q5 Hybrid and joining the crowd with TDI models instead of Hybrids.

Agent009 - 4/11/2013 11:00:00 AM

0 Boost

Good points there

vdiv - 4/11/2013 11:32:00 AM

+1 Boost

Yeah, good points.

Where is the plug/the e-tron version?

ParadoX - 4/11/2013 11:42:47 AM

+2 Boost

Integration of electric motors can provide a lot benefits. Much smoother transmissions without the need for all of those gears, massive torque range is great for acceleration, etc. I think the technology should be embraced, not made fun of.

85bmw745i - 4/11/2013 11:17:18 AM

+1 Boost

I love that commercial

JRobUSC - 4/11/2013 2:45:39 PM

+2 Boost

I think that's a great commercial. The car they're advertising IS a hybrid, so it's not like they're saying "hybrids suck". And they did point out the fuel economy. The 48mpg figure would appeal to "hybrid traditionalists", and while I have no idea whether their car is truly a more spirited driver than the others in the segment, the ad would also appeal to folks on the other side of the isle for whom the "hybrid stigma" is an issue. It does exactly what you'd want.

85bmw745i - 4/12/2013 11:33:47 PM

+1 Boost

Well, one thing is for sure, if it handles and drives anything like the regular Jetta it will be the most fun hybrid to drive.

lexworld - 4/13/2013 11:58:42 AM

+2 Boost

...this kinda reminds me of bored kids, if it aint fun it doesnt matter if God made it, it's rejected. Look, at this point in the game, VoltsVagen will do just about anything to get pass Toyota. Good Luck with that!