...get an iPod!!! http://www.macobserver.com/article/2003/07/15.14.shtml Pods Unite: Buy A Beetle, Get A Free iPod by Bryan Chaffin Apple and Volkswagen have announced a very interesting new promotion called Pods Unite. If you buy a new Beetle from Volkswagen, you can get a 15 GB iPod and a "Volkswagen iPod connectivity kit." The iPods are engraved with the Volkswagen Driver's Wanted logo, and you also get a coupon good for US$100 off any purchase at Apple's online Apple Store (on purchases of US$999 or more). According to the two companies, the promo is going to be featured prominently on TV, local radio, and newspaper. From the press release: Adhering to the philosophy that one good thing deserves another, two icons of American popular culture -- Volkswagen and Apple Computers -- are joining forces to provide 2003 New Beetle sedan buyers with a complimentary Apple iPod, the world's top-selling digital music player. Volkswagen of America, Inc. and Apple Computers have dubbed the new initiative: "Pods Unite." The pairing begins today and will be featured prominently in a TV, local radio and newspaper, nationwide print, broadcast media and e-commerce campaign, through the end of September. Sleek iPod displays will also adorn Volkswagen dealer showrooms. Fans of the New Beetle's unique combination of innovative design and engineering will similarly find themselves enticed by the iPod's impressive ultra-portability and elegant design. Apple's wildly popular and powerful iPod digital music player possesses a 15-gigabyte hard drive with storage space for more than 3,700 songs, which will allow New Beetle drivers to go mobile with an entire music collection that fits in the palm of their hand and neatly in the car. Volkswagen's iPod connectivity kit completes the pairing, with the ability to create and remotely access a road-ready digital music library. Together, the estimated retail value of the iPod and VW connectivity kit is about $600. The iPod lets users scroll through their entire music collection to quickly and easily find a particular song, artist or play list. Each New Beetle iPod is custom-engraved with Volkswagen's "Drivers Wanted" logo and comes with a coupon for $100 off a purchase of $999 or more, from apple.com, Volkswagen's exclusive Street Mix CD collection, a free e-book from audible.com, a VW Music-zine, and a "Pods Unite" window sticker. "Apple's audience is a lot like our audience," said Karen Marderosian, Volkswagen Marketing Director. "A group that embraces something different, simple and unconventional. We think this initiative represents a natural alliance of two like-minded brands." The New Beetle iPod initiative also features additional value incentives to current Volkswagen and Apple computer owners. Up to 25,000 Volkswagen owners will be offered a $50 gift certificate at Amazon.com if they test drive the New Beetle with the iPod system. A like number of current Apple owners who take a test drive will qualify for a $50 gift certificate at apple.com. The New Beetle iPod is available for Mac or Windows platforms; it features touch sensitive controls, a back lit LCD screen, illuminated buttons and an eight-hour rechargeable lithium ion battery. FireWire and USB 2.0 connections allow for super fast music transfers and access to contacts, calendars, to-do lists and text note. The iPod promotion is available to United States customers only and is not available in New Beetle convertible models. You will need to check with your local VW distributorship for more information. As of this writing, we were unable to find an information page on VW's site for the new promo. Wow. That is one of the best promotions I think I have ever heard of. Off to test drive one tomorrow...
Now if they could just get IKEA in on this deal, I think we'd have the holy troika of hip consumer culture.
Don't forget Starbucks... So lemme get this straight... if I buy a car, I get a "free" MP3 player? WOO HOO!!!!
Damn that rumor with VW and Apple doing a joint promo was around three years ago, I was wondering if it would ever come to pass. Now if they could mend fences with all the pissed off people who worked at Apple that had Jettas with faulty windows. My front windows broke a total of 10 times before they finally gave me a permanent fix. 6 months a go I got a letter that said if they ever broke again it would be covered until 2007.
Nothing in the world would get me to buy a VW again(well maybe lifetime season tickets to the rockets). They are the worse cars on the road. My wife has had her Jetta for 4 years and we have had over 20 things go wrong with it and everything cost a crap load to fix. She has been stranded three times. I hate them more than I hate the Jazz. I'm tempted to take it down to the valley and park it with the keys in the ignition.
not a bad deal. for a fully loaded beetle you'll end up paying a total of $37,000 which includes the $12,000 lawsuit for downloading free music to your free ipod. by the way, the "eight-hour" rechargeable lithium ion battery is a joke.
This thread just reminds me about my trip to China 6 months ago where I saw majority of the cars there were Volkswagon... I was soo mad because I spent a lot of money purphasing a new VW Golf just a while ago (having a hard time decidiing between Golf & Toyota Corolla... but choose the much more expensive Golf at the time) & just ended up seeing the brand everywhere over China... Pissed me off because that kind of make the brand look cheap (they made the car there instead of importing from Germany...) well, kind of curious why VW didn't make a strong push for the arena naming rights... since both the VW & Apple computers are associate with China & Yao ming in some way ....
Yeah, I heard that too, especially friends who had V-Dubs and from the Edmunds.com website. Even though my wife loved the Jetta, we bought her a used Volvo instead. She loves the car, it is very safe and it is damned reliable. Three years and not one single problem, plus it has the roaring turbo five cylinder, which is quite strong. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact it is a station wagon and whenever I'm driving it on a family trip, I feel like Clark "Sparky" Griswold in his family truckster.
This is a match made in heaven - 2 crappy brands joined by their only redeeming value, savvy marketing.
