Principles of Business, 9e Dlabay, Burrow, Kleindl Marketing Case Study Dream Bug Alex and Jenny were ready to purchase their first new car together as a married couple. They had decided on a Volkswagen Beetle. Jenny drove her father’s classic 1968 Beetle Bug in high school when she dated Alex. They were looking forward to buying their dream car. Then they learned Volkswagen tampered with diesel vehicles to trick sensors into producing acceptable emissions ratings when actual emissions were unacceptably high. Now, Alex and Jenny discuss their choice. Jenny: I still want to buy a new VW Bug. For years, Volkswagen has earned a reputation for high-quality German engineering which produces cars that are fun to drive. That is exactly what we want. Alex: That may be true, but how can we trust them now? They advertised that they had clean-burning diesel. In reality, those engineers designed cars to cheat on the test. Jenny: That only applies to the diesel cars. The salesperson said we shouldn’t worry about that. The Beetle we looked at was not diesel. It also had some awesome technical features. Maybe if we delay our purchase, Volkswagen will drop prices to pull in customers. Alex: We should be careful not to base such an important decision on emotion. This is a big investment for us. We cannot have our hearts set on one car. There are other cars with awesome technical features. Besides, I heard that VW has set aside more than $7 billion to cover the costs of this scandal and may need to set aside much more than that. What happens if our local dealership closes? What do we do about service and repairs? Jenny: I suppose you are right. I should be rational. I have had a long-term relationship with VW Bugs and I finally have the chance to own a new one. That doesn’t mean I must buy one, though. I just can’t believe that Volkswagen would lie about its products. This must be an isolated event. Alex: Are you willing to bet our savings on that? Think Critically 1. Identify the marketing func