JP/17/CRYSTA

Buyers like to pick up their cars at VW's crystal palace

Thomas Geiger Deutsche Presse-Agentur Wolfsburg, Germany

Many car buyers these days are not simply taking possession of their new car at the dealer's showroom, but are travelling to the manufacturer.

Makers are taking advantage of this trend by erecting crystal palaces with special features design to tie the motorist more tightly to the brand.

Fetching the vehicle direct not necessarily mean saving a lot of money. Although the not-inconsiderable delivery fee is waived, other charges come into play.

A major player in this self-service arrangement is Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. VW have built two gleaming glass towers each 48 metres high where, on 20 floors, up to 800 cars wait for their new owners to collect them. Included in the process is a tour of the works, and a midday meal.

Hundreds of purchasers come every day. They pay 135 euros each. This includes enough in the tank to get you to the next petrol station and the cost of lunch. Buyers willing to pay 285 euros get a premium packet which includes an overnight stay in a luxury hotel.

There is no difference if the car is made in Wolfsburg itself, or comes from the works in Mexico - the New Beetle, for example. The price is the same.

Audi runs a similar, if more modest, scheme at its Ingolstadt headquarters. Its programme includes a light lunch, a short introduction to the car, and the option of a works tour, or a visit to a museum and a photo as a keepsake.

The idea of self service was begun by Mercedes at their original works at Sindelfingen in 1953. In 1981, the firm built a customer centre there. Today, depending on which car you are buying, you can collect the vehicle from centres in Sindelfingen, Bremen, or in Tuscaloosa in Alabama.

Buyers are given an introduction to their car, receive a meal and, if they want to, are allowed to take a look behind the scenes. In addition, there is a tourist or cultural programme on the agenda. The buyer pays nothing - but only if the vehicle is not transhipped from another works.

Porsche customers can fetch their cars from the Zufenhausen plant near Stuttgart. About 30 percent of buyers pay 464 euros for the privilege. The day includes lunch at the works canteen and a factory tour. Many of the visitors are from overseas countries. They plan their trip specially to fetch the car and drive it themselves to the port of Bremerhaven to be shipped home. The route has a fairly low density of traffic and is therefore ideal: drivers can give their vehicle a touch of the herbs for the first time.

Other German makers are weighing up the pros and cons of running similar schemes. BMW is to erect a giant customer centre near the Olympic Stadium in Munich, which is scheduled open in 2005. But potential buyers of Fords and Opels will have to wait: plans by these two makers have not yet got beyond the thinking stage. --