Unless you've been living in some oddball world where the internet doesn't exist - in which case, you wouldn’t be reading this anyway (…), you’ve undoubtedly seen Volkswagen’s much praised Super Bowl commercial starring a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the new, North American-spec 2012 Passat. Having garnered close to 40 million views on Youtube on VW USA’s channel alone, the German company decided to bring the TV spot to Europe, and specifically to the UK to promote the seventh generation of the Passat that went on sale in the country in January. Not surprisingly, the only thing the advertising agency changed in the ad was the car. The campaign aired on UK television today and will run for six weeks.
“‘It’s a charming ad with great music and has the universal appeal of Star Wars,” said Volkswagen’s Communications Manager, Danny Hill. “It captures the imagination and ties in well with our message about the Passat’s clever technology. It was such a success in the States that it seemed a shame not to share it with a wider UK audience.”
We’ll remind you that Volkswagen separated the North American Passat from its European brethren with the presentation of a new model at the Detroit Show earlier this year. The U.S. Passat features a different –albeit very familiar- design and is built at the firm's brand new manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Across the pond, the mid-size sedan American buyers knew as the 2010/2011MY Passat received an extensive redesign for the 2012MY at last year’s Paris Motor Show.