7:12 am, November 16, 2009
Winner: Volkswagen New Car Configurator
Produced by: Tribal DDB
Runner up: Fiat.co.uk
3rd: Volkswagen’s GTIproject.com
It’s double top for VW in this year’s Ewards! Not only did the carmaker pick up the Car Manufacturer of the Year gong, but it’s also sealed victory in the Web Innovation category with its stunning New Car Configurator.
The clever piece of software is an absolute joy to use and can be seriously addictive – even if you’re not in the market for a new VW!
The animations are superb and it’s easy for users to pick a plethora of options, delete and add others with a click of the mouse.
There are also handy functions so potential purchasers can save their chosen car, then return later to finish it off. Buyers can print off the details to take to their dealer and there are bold buttons to book a test drive and order a brochure.
But what really stands out is the flow and animation of the configurator. The graphics are visually stunning – just check out the way ‘your’ car is sprayed in a different colour when you select it – and all this happens very quickly.
Marianne Nicholas, Volkswagen relationship marketing manager, said the car maker was ecstatic with its second gong.
‘We are delighted to receive this award for the New Car Configurator, which has become such an integral part of Volkswagen.co.uk,’ she said.
‘With so much information available, buying a new car can be a confusing and daunting process so the challenge has been to ensure our website is equipped to give users the key facts and figures they need, in as clear and uncomplicated a way as possible to allow them to make an informed decision.
‘The configurator gives users a life-like experience of sitting in and walking round each of the models in the Volkswagen range without having to leave the comfort of their own homes.
‘Every option that can be specified on a new Volkswagen has been included on the site, so it gives visitors the chance to see first hand how changing and including additional options will enhance the car of their choice.’
The New Car Configurator
SPECIAL VOTE
The Web Innovation Eward was voted for in a slightly different way to the others.
All 11 judges had to pick one automotive website – large or small – that they felt had done something truly innovative online.
Then when all the judges got together at headline sponsor Autotorq’s headquarters in Fulham, London, each member of the panel got the opportunity to put the case forward for their choice. Why they chose the individual sites was purely personal and on what they, as experts, judged as innovative.
Debate was intense as we pored over the sites for three hours, testing each as we went and analysing the different parts.
At the end of the nominations, judges were handed voting forms and allocated their points – in the same way as the others – with 10 for their favourite, nine for the runner up all the way down to one for their least favourite.
Judges were extremely impressed with the VW configurator with many swayed away from their original picks to award it top marks.
Autotorq talk
Our headline sponsor says: ‘It’s hard to stand out from the crowd with a car configurator, but Volkswagen has achieved just that with a rich and engaging interactive show of how to build and specify your own car. Clever little touches like robot arms spray-painting the car to the colour of your choice, or rolls of material being laid out for the interior, shows a genuinely innovative approach to presentation.’
Web Innovation Nominations
These are the sites nominated by our Ewards judging panel – which included the Car Dealer team. All are worth checking out. In no particular order the nominations were
2. Changeperspective.saab.com/global/en/
3. Zype.co.uk (actual product, not website)
5. Fiat.co.uk
7. Volkswagen.co.uk’s New Car Configurator
8. Webuyanycar.com (the concept, not the website)
10. Google analytics
