24MAY2018 The Autostadt in Wolfsburg

Students admire a 718 Boxster GTS.

Neon lights reflect off the Bugatti.

A quote at the entrance of the Porsche Pavillion in Autostadt read, "In the beginning I looked around but couldn't find the car I dreamed of, so I decided to build it myself." by Ferdinand Porsche. This quote inspired me as an engineer because it reminded me that, if we don't like what we see, we have the power to create something we love. As I was walking through the  pavilion, I couldn't help but to feel like I was in an advertisement on TV. The lights were dimmed and intense music filled the show room where men and women alike admired the cars. As we made our way down towards the showroom floor, the excitement grew while we stared at cars many of us dream of owning one day.  When it was finally my turn to sit in the 718 Boxster GTS, I put my hands on the steering wheel and felt a good chunk of my college tuition in my hands. This experience had me thing about if I play my cards just right, I could own a car like this in the future. Next, we moved on to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where they had Bentleys parked out front. This seemed like every man whose going through a midlife crisis' dream. The Autostadt quickly felt more like a Disney Resort for car lovers than a Volkswagen factory. After we paused for a photo-op with the Bentleys, we made our way into the Bugatti Pavilion, which seemed more like an art exhibit than anything else. Mirrors covered the walls and floor of the building, neon lights hung from the ceiling and at the center of it all sat the mirror-like Bugatti. This display was my personal favorite because it displayed the car in a flashy way that was different from the showrooms that seemed like a large advertisement.

The Bugatti reflects off the mirrored flooring.

Lamborghini attempted to take a similar approach  to Bugatti in advertising their cars, however, it fell short in my opinion. They started their display with a video hyping up how fast and loud the car is then topped it off with revolving part of the wall around, displaying the car. While it was still impressive, many of us expected the car to actually start up, but it never happened. Other high points of the day included the Volkswagen storage towers and the Volkswagen Factory. The storage towers were very unique because they were essentially vending machines for cars. It housed hundred of cars and used an elevator that moved at 2 meters per second to transport them from point A to B. We finished the day off with a tour of the factory. It was super interesting to see the transformation of the initial body into a operational car, step by step. Overall, it was a fun filled day with plenty of unique experiences
incomparable to anything in the US.

Inside of the Volkswagen storage tower.

Alaina Sill
NUCC 2021
Mechanical Engineering