The Volkswagen Group’s Forum DRIVE opened its doors to the public with exhibition based on the theme of “START – The world of the Volkswagen Group”

• Introducing the Volkswagen Group and its brands
• Focus on the automotive Group’s brand diversity, tradition and visions

BERLIN, 4-5-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — DRIVE is set to open its doors to the public today with an exhibition based on the theme of “START – The world of the Volkswagen Group”. The exhibition will feature the Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN brands. Guests will experience the brand diversity, traditions and visions of the automotive group. The exhibition is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. until mid-August.

The main exhibition area contains brand boxes featuring themes and stories about each brand. For example, the Volkswagen brand provides visitors with information about the different road surfaces encountered by rally drivers in the World Rally Championship. Football fans will be in their element in the MAN brand box. The theme here is “Rush and Kick – winning an away game with 420 PS”. Visitors get the chance to sit in the seats in which professional players from six first-division clubs travel to their weekly matches, and find out who sits where. “Fascination with Motorsport” is the theme of Audi’s exhibition, which involves an emotive presentation of the Audi RS 3 Sportback brand environment.

Visual displays in the lobby featuring Group employees welcome visitors and direct them to the interactive table of contents, which provides an initial overview of the different areas of the exhibition. Interactive digital and analogue elements invite visitors to explore the exhibition, and show where the brands are positioned in each room.

The exhibition also takes a look at the heritage and the future of the Volkswagen Group. Visitors learn interesting facts about the history of each brand through images, graphics and video clips, including an answer to the question of what the name “Bulli” really means. The exhibition also focusses on future issues defined in conjunction with trend researchers. Key categories such as lifestyles, material technology, urbanisation and mobility infrastructures are used to show the trends and factors which have a direct impact on our environment.

The exhibition is also interactive. Visitors can choose between different subjects in a photo box which form part of the brands’ exhibition content. The resulting photos will be displayed for the duration of the exhibition in DRIVE. “Financial DRIVE” is a permanent exhibition about the world of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, featuring innovative interactive installations.

DRIVE. Volkswagen Group Forum

The Volkswagen Group Forum DRIVE is the Group’s communication platform in Berlin. Opened in 2015, this is the first time that the Volkswagen Group has exhibited all twelve brands and Financial Services AG together anywhere in the world. The Forum is located in the Lindencorso building in the heart of the capital. DRIVE is the platform for mobility issues in the Group, which will be reflected in a range of brand and themed exhibitions with a comprehensive programme of supporting events. A variety of rooms equipped with the latest technology is available for meetings, conferences and discussions. The legendary Café Bauer, one of the first Viennese-style coffee houses in Berlin, once stood on the site of today’s Lindencorso building. The building was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The new Lindencorso building was then constructed on the site as a restaurant and office complex. The top floor also housed the GDR Academy of Building. The building was demolished again in 1993. The current Lindencorso building took three years to construct.

Company and Business Communications

Andreas Lampersbach
Volkswagen AG
Head of Corporate and Business Communications
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