Funniest VW Commercial evAr!
Posted: January 19, 2005, 2:04 am
Report: VW to sue makers of bomb ad
Internet movie, appearing to be an ad for VW, parodied attempted suicide car bombing.
January 26, 2005: 4:22 PM EST
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Volkswagen is planning to sue the makers of a controversial Internet short film showing a Middle Eastern-looking man using one of the company's cars in a suicide bombing attempt, according to a story on a British newspaper's Web site.
The makers of the film, a London based creative team known only as Lee and Dan, have said in various media reports that the ad was leaked accidentally and was never intended for public viewing. They have apologized for the film.
They have reportedly not said how the making of the film was financed.
According to reports, the film, which looked like an advertisement for the car, showed a middle eastern looking man getting into a Volkswagen Polo, a compact car the company sells in Europe. The man drives the car to a parking spot in front of a sidewalk cafe. At that point, an explosion goes off inside the passenger compartment. The car, however, remains intact. The film ends with the tag line "Polo: small but tough," according to reports.
Volkswagen has insisted that it had no knowledge that the film was being made and that Volkswagen provided no financing for it.
Volkswagen has decided to take legal action against the filmmakers, according to a report posted today on the Web site for The Guardian.
"We are taking legal action but because it's early stages we cannot comment further," a Volkswagen spokesman was quoted as saying.
The problem, now, is that Volkswagen needs to find Lee and Dan before it can sue them. So far, Volkswagen has been unable to locate them, the Guardian report says.
Lee and Dan have worked on advertising campaigns for various companies and products according to the partnership's Web site.
The Volkswagen Polo first appeared on the Internet around the middle of January. CNN/Money has not seen a copy of the film.
The case is similar to a situation last year in which Ford distanced itself from an Internet film which appeared to be an advertisement for one of that company's European models. In that short Internet film, a cat climbed atop the car's roof and was decapitated by the car's sunroof.
A Volkswagen spokesperson has not yet returned a call placed by CNN/Money this morning seeking comment on the report. Lee and Dan have also not yet responded to an e-mail sent this morning by CNN/Money. Top of page