VW Golf GTI Launch, 2013
Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia Sdn Bhd
The background:
The VW Golf had been slowly building a reputation as a natty, nippy, reliable town car, ideal for the snarling traffic and tight parking of Kuala Lumpur.
Pricier than local (Proton) and other Asian brands (Toyota, Hyundai), Golf had established a solid niche at the top end of the 4-cylnder small car market.
The GTI was yet another level above -- sportier, sexier, more desirable... but also a quantum leap in price.
The insight
Spend just 10 minutes in any Malaysian town and you'll observe a massive "boy-racer" culture, tricking up even the most mundane 4-cylinder clunkers to be flashier, louder and faster than they were ever designed to be. And these so-called boy racers are just as likely to be middle-aged dads as testosterone-fueled 20-somethings.
Like many Malaysian city dwellers, much of his market has migrated from the kampongs (villages) to further their careers in tte big smoke. Yet their roots and their hearts are still firmly in the countryside. On the weekends, they like to "balek kampong" (head home) or take a tear to a nearby getaway in the mountains or by the beach. However attractive these locations might be, once off the highway, they are also challenging to reach -- featuring winding, bumpy, often gravely roads.
The idea
We saw this "obstacle" as an opportunity to further elevate the Golf GTI above the competition. With its bona fide rallying credentials, its responsive accelerating/braking/cornering and its low center of gravity, it would not just handle these challenges with ease, but with exhiliarating, adrenaline-pumping performance.
It's almost as if Malaysia's back roads were custom-made for the new Golf GTI.
So let's turn it into a game, head up to the Cameron Highlands and dial up the fun!
