A Day at Autostadt Wolfsburg

  
     

 

By Peter K Tamm (May 2004)

 
  Anyone with the chance to visit Germany should take the opportunity to call in to the largest automobile complex in the world. The Volkswagen Headquarters at Wolfsburg has been purposely before the Second World War to serve the German people with the manufacture of the KDF Wagon (Kraft durch Freude), or strength though pleasure cars otherwise known to us as the Kafer or Beetle and a variety of army vehicles.  
  The first surprise approaching Wolfsburg is to find a well planned road system with dual carriageways in both directions right up to the factory which is situated between a canal and a railway system both used for the loading and unloading of materials, components and many thousands of manufactured cars (no semi trailer traffic here). We are immediately struck by two 20 storey glass cylinders that are part of this modern complex built in conjunction with the 2000 Expo held in the nearby city of Hannover. The towers are used to house all models, makes and colours of cars waiting to be picked up by buyers directly at the factory in order to save delivery fees. A central lift connects the floors to some 400 vehicles in each tower. Germany's youngest town Wolfsburg has a population of 125,000 and presents a real experience to the visitor. Apart form the industrial aspect of the city a 2km long shopping mall located south of Wolfsburg includes visions of art and culture which contrast against the Volkswagen technology.
  The main attraction however would have to be a visit to the Autostadt, in itself a 25ha complex housing 10 pavilions for the enjoyment of car enthusiasts from all over the world, as well as the Ritz Carlton Hotel if you need to stay in luxury and the previously mentioned Auto-Turme.
Our second surprise presented itself at the main entrance where producing my SA Senior Card actually gave me a reasonable discount for a day pass and believe me a day is required to soak in the experience and displays. Included in the pass is a panorama tour with modern glassed in vehicles hooked together like a mini train that proudly moved the visitors around the Autostadt and part of the actual VW works. An internal monitor helps to pick up more information as we witness the family of robots playing their symphony of car building. We were present to see a Golf being created from sheets of flat steel into shapes that soon matched a real car. The accuracy to build a golf is set to 1mm and all components not meeting this tolerance are automatically rejects. The day we visited the factory a huge electronic display monitor showing the output of vehicles manufactured standing at 33 million, 243 thousand.		  
 

Wolfsburg is now concentrating mainly on building Golfs, Polos and Passats. The layout on the right gives a guide to the Autostadt complex. The entrance to the area is via the Konzern Forum.

We started our tour of the Pavilions at the Bentley Complex, a fine example of luxurious travel which will be nothing but a dream to most of us. This was a look, don't touch display, with the cars glowing and sparkling inside and out, surrounded by a large plastic chain, suspended on stainless posts and secured by attendants. The theme of class and surprises is maintained in all pavilions and the lasting impressions will vary with the individual visitor. After marvelling at a magic disappearance trick of a Lamborghini mounted to a turning wall, the finish and space of both Skoda and Seat vehicles was astonishing. The external design of the Audi Pavilion imitated the traditional interlocking four rings and after moving to the inside the visitor was presented with a live driven adventure pacing the car through the four seasons of the year whilst listening to Andre Rieu's "The Last Waltz".

A 360 degree movie display with a domed roof presents another highlight. The all-round movie show contrasts two sisters performing and displaying their talents. One sister is an accomplished skater showing her skills at various world ice rinks whilst the other plays the violin inside virtual reality domes. Technology at its peak. The VW display includes a simulator where you can try out your hidden driving skills in any one to the Volkswagen manufactured cars of your choice. If all these experiences still require topping up, finish the day at the Zeithaus (Time House), a four story display centre of vehicles from the first prototypes to the latest concept car. Here you can dial up the details of any particular you may have owned in the past, enjoy simplicity of the originals (including other makes now part of the VW stable) and surround yourself with experiences that will transport you into the future. Don't forget to bring home some souvenirs that not only display the proud badge of VW, but are actually 'Made in Germany".

Peter K Tamm