Volkswagen of America, Inc. has just received recognition from The Communicator Awards 2007 Print Media Competition for its U.S. media launch of the Volkswagen Chameleon concept vehicle.
The media launch of the VW Chameleon was held in concert with the start of the 2006 Convergence electronics show in Detroit. Because of the amount of positive coverage in the local, automotive and business press, it earned an Award of Distinction in the contest's Publicity Campaign category.
The Chameleon, a retrofitted 1964 Volkswagen Deluxe Microbus, was conceived at Volkswagen's Electronics Research Lab (ERL) in Palo Alto, Calif. The goal of ERL was to preserve the classic look of the iconic Microbus, while enhancing it with the latest advancements in audio, speech, sensors, displays, navigation, lighting, batteries and solar cells (surfboards atop of the vehicle were actually lined with solar panels).
Vickie Chiang, an engineer at ERL, who also served as Volkswagen's spokesperson at the media introduction said that they are proud of the award because a lot of talented people put considerable time and effort into developing the vehicle. "I remember the journalists were quite intrigued with how we were able to successfully marry 21st century technology with a 40-year-old Microbus. It didn't take long for the reporters to pick up on the inherent 'coolness' factor surrounding the vehicle."
The press debut was held in the Volkswagen of America Collection, at their Auburn Hills headquarters. The event was co-hosted by lighting supplier OSRAM, who provided state-of-the-art, light emitting diodes (LED) technology to the vehicle's interior and exterior systems, including the headlamps and other .
About the Communicator Awards
The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. Entries are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. The Award of Distinction is awarded to projects that exceed industry standards in the production or communications skills.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, Eos, and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com.
