Collision Course

Volkswagen doesn't intend for Autostadt to cut its dealers out of the picture; like the other automakers, it acknowledges their importance in maintaining healthy customer relationships, especially after-sale service. "In our industry, we need the dealers, so that every customer can have a direct agent, a person to talk to," Wachs explains. Two floors of the CustomerCenter, in fact, will be dedicated to training salespeople employed by Volkswagen dealerships. In Wach's view, Autostadt "will support our dealers in creating an image and by giving information about the assembly process. It is a huge place for information about our brands."

Eventually, Wachs hopes that visitors to Autostadt will be able to order Volkswagens directly from the CustomerCenter, using a phone or computer that will connect them to a dealership in their area. But he and Rouse insist that their new park won't be about the hard sell. "This isn't about, 'Come here, buddy, let me sell you a car,' " Rouse says. Instead, by creating an immersive theme-park experience, Rouse believes that some guests will want a T-shirt or a key chain to remember their visit. Others will want a Jetta.

When it opens in June, Autostadt will fit into a larger strategy at the Volkswagen Group to offer consumers more opportunities to interact directly with the company, rather than through intermediaries like Web sites or even dealerships. Last summer, Volkswagen of America held its first-ever "DriversFest" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Beetle imported to the States. The DriversFest was a daylong party at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island, complete with live music, vintage vws, food, and the chance to test-drive the newest cars. Organizer Sue Wogan, 37, Volkswagen of America's team leader for owner communications, expects it to become an annual event.

About six months after Autostadt opens its gates, Volkswagen will inaugurate a factory in Dresden, Germany for its new, as-yet-unnamed luxury model. Architect Gunter Henn calls the factory the Crystal Palace, because of its extensive use of glass; car buyers will be able to gaze at the assembly line as their vehicle is put together. The factory in Dresden will also have a gallery, a cinema, and a driving simulator. "What we are doing in Wolfsburg and in Dresden is very different from an Orlando theme-park experience," says Henn, 52, who runs one of Germany's largest architecture firms, with offices in such cities as Berlin and Munich. "These are authentic locations, not just an isolated theme park. Every day at Wolfsburg, close to 50,000 employees make about 3,000 cars. You're opening that to the public, and to the town of Wolfsburg, and that helps you open communication with the customer. It helps you make a connection between the company and the market."

Henn believes that the Internet, though powerful as a tool for delivering information and managing transactions, is limited when it comes to forging connections. "The solution is a combination of the Internet and in-person experiences," he says. "I like to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York on the Internet, but I still want to go there and have an experience with many people. That will be the main experience at Autostadt--to meet other people who think or feel as you do. It's an agora of the Greek days. The buildings at Autostadt are tools to create that opportunity."

Contributing editor Scott Kirsner (kirsner@worldnet.att.net) drives a Jeep Cherokee. Contact Thor Ibsen (thor@ford.com), Peter Dames (dreamer@toyota.com), or Otto Ferdinand Wachs (otto-f.wachs@autostadt.de) by email.