UTC Students Roll Out VW Style
By Beth Miller, Communication major
| Audio Interviews |
|---|
| Dr. Jim Catanzaro |
| Chuck Cantrell |
| Mayor Ron Littlefield |
| Interviews by Mike Miller, News Producer, WUTC Radio |
Volkswagen’s latest commercial for their new Routan minivan shows Brooke Shields stepping onto a stage and then seated next to Max, a pristine 1964 Volkswagen Beetle and the new “face” of VW. Max paid a visit to Chattanooga Sept. 12, bringing with him a fleet of the new 2009 Volkswagen CCs in VW’s “Ride and Drive Event.”
A group of UTC and Chattanooga State communication and business majors were selected to represent their schools at a mock press conference about the new CC. The conference, put on by VW press and public relations executives, was designed to answer questions about the new plant scheduled to open in 2011 in Chattanooga, VW employment opportunities and VW’s products.
Students at the mock news conference were divided into groups of four and chose one of about 15, beautifully designed CCs. Each vehicle contained a drive route that took us from Chattanooga State, down Dupont Parkway, to Hixson Pike and through the S-curves to UTC. It was a “drive-it-like-you-stole-it,” moment despite the many traffic cameras.
I had the opportunity to test drive the CC (Comfort Coupe), considered a sporty sedan competing with the Mercedes-Benz CLS-class. VW plans to market the CC to “mid-40s affluent males,” according to Laura Soave, VW’s marketing manager. It will carry a price tag of about $26,000- $40,000, compared to a starting price of just under $70,000 for the Mercedes-Benz equivalent.
Whitney Gardner, a fellow communication major and senior, road shotgun and kept me on track, literally. Erica Tuggle and Mike Miller, also communication majors, made up the rest of our ride group and proved to be brave participants. I managed to get so wrapped up in the handling and performance ability of the CC that I just kept driving right past UTC. Fortunately for us, there were no penalties for tardiness. Whitney quickly corrected me and we managed to make it just in time for the “rubbing of the elbows” with the VW executives.
At UTC’s University Center, we attended a luncheon for the event, along with VW executives and community leaders including Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, representatives from the Congressional offices of U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp and U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, as well as UTC’s Chancellor Roger Brown.
After cleaning our plates, we headed back outside to jump in another CC to carry us back to Chattanooga State. This time, Whitney took the wheel and I must admit, I was a bit nervous. She is known for her “Dukes of Hazard” driving style, but she managed to get us to our destination safely. Before returning the CC, we decided to make sure everyone noticed our new ride. We blew the horn repeatedly at other drivers and pedestrians as we waved and smiled like Vanna turning another letter. We “conveniently” got lost on the way back and had to make a u-turn on Amnicola Highway. A trip to Florida was mentioned, but we thought it would be better in the long run to return the car.
Upon arrival at Chattanooga State, we lined up the cars. But no one wanted to give up his/her car just yet. We continued to take pictures and prolong the event as long as we could.
The start of the VW event was exciting and highly anticipated, while the ending proved to be as abrupt as it was unwelcome. I think the event was a big hit and I look forward to Max’s next visit to Chattanooga.
