A New Brand: VW's Marketing Executive Addresses Past Obstacles

VW recently showcased its line up of new vehicles outside of Half Moon Bay, California. The featured vehicles included  the refreshed CC and the revived spirited R32, which is now available in both a 2-door and 4-door configuration. While attending the unveiling, we had an opportunity to connect with Tim Mahoney, vice president of marketing for the brand, to address some of the issues that hampered the German brand in the past. Based on my two-day visit at their research lab and spending time behind the wheel of their revamped line up, we immediately realized that VW is not the same old brand. In fact, they're on a mission to be a true mainstream player as opposed to remaining as a niche brand. Its obvious in their recent sales growth that VW is putting plans in place to overcome every obstacle that has kept them from growing. In fact, VW has become one of the fastest-growing brands in America. Sales for the first quarter of 2012 are up 41 percent when compared to the same period last year.