think diesel
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2000
- Location
- Northern Virginia
I just finished a book called Getting the Bugs Out by David Kiley
It tells the history of Volkswagen in America from the startling success of the Beetle in the 1960's to the dark days of the 1980's and Volkswagen's rise to the top in the late 1990's.
Even if you are not interested in Volkswagen specifically, this is a fascinating insight into what makes a car company tick from behind the scenes. You feel like a fly on the wall as major multi-million dollar decisions are being made in corporate boardrooms.
You also get a great look at the personalities involved from the crazy brilliance and domineering stature of Ferdinand Piech, grandson of Volkswagen's founder Ferdinand Porsche down to the creative genius of the advertising company which helped Volkswagen rediscover it's soul in America.
Learn how decisions (and blunders) were made and discover some amazing insights. Guess what, Ferdinand Piech thinks VW windsheild wiper suck too! The book tells that recently he rented a Cadillac sedan while in the U.S. on a visit and declared that the "wipers were excellent". He said "find out who makes these and copy them" --- that's a direct quote from Piech. The book is full of stuff like that, which will really pique your interest if you are interested in VW. You'll see what a genius Piech really is and learn how close they really came to leaving the U.S. market-- and learn to respect how far they have come.
It's a great story. I read the book in 3 days! If you are a fan of the car business you will really enjoy it. If you are interested in how big business and marketing works, you will really enjoy it. If you fit either of those categories AND you are a fan of Volkswagen---- you need to go to Amazon.com right now and ORDER THIS BOOK because you will LOVE it.
Just go to Amazon and do a search under books for "getting the bugs out" and you will find it.
It tells the history of Volkswagen in America from the startling success of the Beetle in the 1960's to the dark days of the 1980's and Volkswagen's rise to the top in the late 1990's.
Even if you are not interested in Volkswagen specifically, this is a fascinating insight into what makes a car company tick from behind the scenes. You feel like a fly on the wall as major multi-million dollar decisions are being made in corporate boardrooms.
You also get a great look at the personalities involved from the crazy brilliance and domineering stature of Ferdinand Piech, grandson of Volkswagen's founder Ferdinand Porsche down to the creative genius of the advertising company which helped Volkswagen rediscover it's soul in America.
Learn how decisions (and blunders) were made and discover some amazing insights. Guess what, Ferdinand Piech thinks VW windsheild wiper suck too! The book tells that recently he rented a Cadillac sedan while in the U.S. on a visit and declared that the "wipers were excellent". He said "find out who makes these and copy them" --- that's a direct quote from Piech. The book is full of stuff like that, which will really pique your interest if you are interested in VW. You'll see what a genius Piech really is and learn how close they really came to leaving the U.S. market-- and learn to respect how far they have come.
It's a great story. I read the book in 3 days! If you are a fan of the car business you will really enjoy it. If you are interested in how big business and marketing works, you will really enjoy it. If you fit either of those categories AND you are a fan of Volkswagen---- you need to go to Amazon.com right now and ORDER THIS BOOK because you will LOVE it.
Just go to Amazon and do a search under books for "getting the bugs out" and you will find it.