Volkswagen: A New Mission by Johannes Leonardo

Volkswagen of America is continuing its ‘Drive Bigger’ campaign with a film, ‘A New Mission,’ which looks back on the automaker’s connection to the moon landing and forward to its current focus on electric vehicles and going carbon neutral.

The spot features one of David Bowie’s earliest recorded versions of Space Oddity, from 1969, which was commercially released in its true context for the first time on vinyl and streaming services this month. The film also includes footage from around the world conveying the unification that landing on the moon brought to humankind in 1969, from people watching through store windows and public places, to campsites covered in VW vans. It then shifts to highlight Volkswagen’s mission to build towards an electric future. It cites the company investing $50bn worldwide by 2023, introducing 70 new all-electric models by 2028 and investing $800m to expand its Tennessee plant to build electric vehicles, along with an ambitious effort to go carbon neutral by 2050.

Additionally, the campaign includes a print advertisement celebrating the moon landing featuring the iconic Volkswagen Bus of the 1960s alongside the ID. Buzz Concept, which represents Volkswagen’s future electric fleet.