Page 5 - AUTO Vol 1 No 2
P. 5
AUTO
Volkswagen: The PR Disaster
by Nat Richardson editor AUTO magazine
Welcome to The Australia Times Auto Magazine
Issue 2. We hope that after our landmark first issue
we can keep working onward and upward in
providing a different perspective on the
automotive world.
Volkswagen has recently found itself in the
headlines for all the wrong reasons over its
handling of the recall of over twenty-thousand
cars in relation to faults in its dual-clutch DSG
gearboxes. The poor handling of this issue by VW
itself has caused massive media headaches for the
German car-maker, and has taken the shine off the
introduction of its crucial new Golf (which is Vokswagen’s Old and New: Sourced from Mick’s Garage
reviewed elsewhere in this issue). While VW has our roads due to these unsafe vehicles?' and
severely botched its handling of the issue, mainly enourmous headaches for VW Australia. The
by simply ignorning customer complaints for a perception that their cars are unsafe is now a very
long period of time, it is not solely to blame for real threat to their standing in this country, and
the media circus that has evolved over the past they have already felt the effects of this, with a
few weeks. Many mainstream media outlets have 15% sales drop last month.
shamelessely cased in on the tragic death of a
young woman, who was driving a VW, in order to Recalls are not uncommon in the automotive
give the story a greater sense of gravity. Many of world, and when dealt with in a professional and
these outlets have failed to recognise the fact that efficient manner (ie straight away), then a media
the Golf involved in the fatal accident was a GTI circus such as the one that has enveloped VW can
Golf with a manual gearbox, a model which is not be avoided. VW will have to work very hard in the
affected by the current recall. This has let coming months in an attempt gain back credibility
imagination run wild, with questions such as 'how and buyer confidence. Its new Golf, the almost
long will it be before another tragedy occurs on perfect car, should help them achieve that.
____
______________ _
5 Independent Media Inspiring Minds Independent Media Inspiring Minds 5
Volkswagen: The PR Disaster
by Nat Richardson editor AUTO magazine
Welcome to The Australia Times Auto Magazine
Issue 2. We hope that after our landmark first issue
we can keep working onward and upward in
providing a different perspective on the
automotive world.
Volkswagen has recently found itself in the
headlines for all the wrong reasons over its
handling of the recall of over twenty-thousand
cars in relation to faults in its dual-clutch DSG
gearboxes. The poor handling of this issue by VW
itself has caused massive media headaches for the
German car-maker, and has taken the shine off the
introduction of its crucial new Golf (which is Vokswagen’s Old and New: Sourced from Mick’s Garage
reviewed elsewhere in this issue). While VW has our roads due to these unsafe vehicles?' and
severely botched its handling of the issue, mainly enourmous headaches for VW Australia. The
by simply ignorning customer complaints for a perception that their cars are unsafe is now a very
long period of time, it is not solely to blame for real threat to their standing in this country, and
the media circus that has evolved over the past they have already felt the effects of this, with a
few weeks. Many mainstream media outlets have 15% sales drop last month.
shamelessely cased in on the tragic death of a
young woman, who was driving a VW, in order to Recalls are not uncommon in the automotive
give the story a greater sense of gravity. Many of world, and when dealt with in a professional and
these outlets have failed to recognise the fact that efficient manner (ie straight away), then a media
the Golf involved in the fatal accident was a GTI circus such as the one that has enveloped VW can
Golf with a manual gearbox, a model which is not be avoided. VW will have to work very hard in the
affected by the current recall. This has let coming months in an attempt gain back credibility
imagination run wild, with questions such as 'how and buyer confidence. Its new Golf, the almost
long will it be before another tragedy occurs on perfect car, should help them achieve that.
____
______________ _
5 Independent Media Inspiring Minds Independent Media Inspiring Minds 5
