Four official vehicles carrying the logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay, including the Magotan, Multivan, Touran 1.8T and Passat Lingyu, will be exhibited during this year's auto show.

As the 10th Beijing International Auto Exhibition opens on April 20 in Beijing, Volkswagen is ready with a large arena of 4,000 sq m to display its precedent-setting lineup.

The auto partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Volkswagen - together with Shanghai Volkswagen, FAW-Volkswagen and Volkswagen Import Co Ltd - designed its booth with the theme "Enjoy the Olympic Journey with Volkswagen" to fully showcase its strength as a sponsor of the Games.

Volkswagen will unveil 31 models during the show, an "Olympic record" for the company, including two brand-new top-of-the-line sedans tailored to the Chinese market that will make their global debut.

The automaker says the two new models are the shining stars at its booth this year, demonstrating Volkswagen's commitment to meeting the needs of Chinese consumers and reaching its core objective and vision for the Chinese market.

At the same time, the Passat CC will make its debut in Asia and the compact SUV Tiguan will

 be unveiled to Chinese consumers for the first time, further demonstrating Volkswagen's enterprising capacity for research and innovation.

As the official vehicle supplier for the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay, Volkswagen vehicles will guard the torch throughout its mainland journey from May 4 to August 8. Four official vehicles carrying the logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay, including the Magotan, Multivan, Touran 1.8T and Passat Lingyu, will be unveiled during this year's auto show to give visitors a preview of the torch fleet.

Volkswagen's highly efficient and environmentally friendly green vehicles will also be displayed, adding further allure to the Volkswagen booth.

The diesel-powered Mogotan 2.0 TDI and Tiguan 2.0 TDI, the direct-petrol injection Sagitar 1.4 TSI and natural gas-powered Touran 2.0 EcoFuel will also be introduced to the public to demonstrate the comprehensive strength of Volkswagen in environmental innovation.

Volkswagen will also display over 20 hi-tech interactive multimedia exhibits including real engines and gearboxes to illustrate what Volkswagen has done to support a green Beijing Olympic Games.

The carmaker will also host a series of performances and events to explain the essence of its "Olympic Journey".

The actual torch used in the Olympic relay will be displayed at Volkswagen's booth - visitors are invited to take photos with it and experience the feeling of being an Olympic torchbearer. Friederrike von Wedel-Parlow and Regina Tiedeken, two noted fashion designers from Berlin, will host a special eco-fashion show with environmentally friendly materials and original designs.

Volkswagen's vision of 'life and hope'

(China Daily April 21, 2008)