I found this excerpt when reading Don Vorhees' Book of Totally Useless Information. (1993) I thought it was very interesting! Sorry couldn't figure out how to put the two little dots over the "u" in Fahrvergnügen. Hey the alt 0252 worked!! Thanks!!!
During the lat 1980s and early 1990s, it was impossible to sit down and watch a little television or open a magazine without seein the word "Fahrvergnügen." It became a part of the latest VW advertising campaign. Although Fahrvergnügen is a really neat-sounding word,VW doesn't actually explain what it means, if anything. Is it a real word or simply a european-sounding marketing word created by some German advertising executive?
Volkswagen's present-day slick advertising and stylish looking European autos had much humbler beginnings in prewar Germany.
In 1934, car designer Ferdinand Porsce was directed by the **** government to create a small "peoples-car" or Volks-wagen. His new creation, the beetle, was introduced in 1939. The rear engined, air-cooled, simple, and inexpensive little car quickly became one of the most popular cars ever produced. By 1972, the VW Beetle topped the Model T in total sales, with over 15 million sold, and became the best selling car of all time.
The truly remarkable thing about the Beetle was that relatively few changes were made over the years, and its basic design stayed the same. The Beetle model was discontinued in the US in 1977, when it was replaced by the Rabbit. The Beetle, however, still continues to be produced in Mexico and total sales have surpassed $20 million.
In the late 80s VW's marketing philosophy began to change and they introduced finely engineered European models that were more fun to drive. In order to present this new image to the American consumer, the company came up with a new advertising word-- "Fahrvergnügen." Volkswagen's advertising agency, while seeking something unusual, catchy, and meaningful, came across the word "Fahrvergnügen" in a VW engineering manual at the Wolfsburg, Germany, factory complex. While the word literally translates into "the pleasure of driving" (from the German "fahr," meaning drive and "vernügen," meaning pleasure), the engineers were using it to describe what they call the VW "fingerprint"..."that unique sense of control and road feel that the driver experiences behind the wheel of a Volkswagen."
Whether or not VW cars do indeed have Fahrvergnügen, you will have to judge for yourself. The company must be doing something right, however. Volkswagen is now the fourth largest auto maker in the world. Not bad for a company that had its humble beginnings producing the buglike "peoples-car" in prewar Germany.
I hope everyone enjoys this story! Lee
During the lat 1980s and early 1990s, it was impossible to sit down and watch a little television or open a magazine without seein the word "Fahrvergnügen." It became a part of the latest VW advertising campaign. Although Fahrvergnügen is a really neat-sounding word,VW doesn't actually explain what it means, if anything. Is it a real word or simply a european-sounding marketing word created by some German advertising executive?
Volkswagen's present-day slick advertising and stylish looking European autos had much humbler beginnings in prewar Germany.
In 1934, car designer Ferdinand Porsce was directed by the **** government to create a small "peoples-car" or Volks-wagen. His new creation, the beetle, was introduced in 1939. The rear engined, air-cooled, simple, and inexpensive little car quickly became one of the most popular cars ever produced. By 1972, the VW Beetle topped the Model T in total sales, with over 15 million sold, and became the best selling car of all time.
The truly remarkable thing about the Beetle was that relatively few changes were made over the years, and its basic design stayed the same. The Beetle model was discontinued in the US in 1977, when it was replaced by the Rabbit. The Beetle, however, still continues to be produced in Mexico and total sales have surpassed $20 million.
In the late 80s VW's marketing philosophy began to change and they introduced finely engineered European models that were more fun to drive. In order to present this new image to the American consumer, the company came up with a new advertising word-- "Fahrvergnügen." Volkswagen's advertising agency, while seeking something unusual, catchy, and meaningful, came across the word "Fahrvergnügen" in a VW engineering manual at the Wolfsburg, Germany, factory complex. While the word literally translates into "the pleasure of driving" (from the German "fahr," meaning drive and "vernügen," meaning pleasure), the engineers were using it to describe what they call the VW "fingerprint"..."that unique sense of control and road feel that the driver experiences behind the wheel of a Volkswagen."
Whether or not VW cars do indeed have Fahrvergnügen, you will have to judge for yourself. The company must be doing something right, however. Volkswagen is now the fourth largest auto maker in the world. Not bad for a company that had its humble beginnings producing the buglike "peoples-car" in prewar Germany.
I hope everyone enjoys this story! Lee
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