Car Towers and Delivery Center
From:
Volkswagen's Autostadt
ABOVE: VW's Autotürme hold up to
400 cars each and serve as giant vending machines for the KundenCenter
(at right in the top inset photo below).
 Visiting
the Car Towers
Volkswagen's Autotürme, or car towers, are distinguishing
features of the Autostadt. The transparent cylindrical buildings rise 48 meters
or 150 feet above the grounds, and they're linked by a fully automated delivery
system to both the Volkswagen factory and the KundenCenter (where VW
customers pick up their new cars).
 The
car towers work like giant vending machines: As a new car arrives from the
factory, it's transported by robot to an empty storage slot in one of the
towers; when a customer shows up to collect the car, the same robotic picking
system fetches the vehicle, brings it down to ground level, and transfers it to
the KundenCenter in the next building. Each tower holds up to 400 cars on
20 levels and can process a car every 45 seconds during peak times.
 In
the past, tourists weren't allowed inside the towers for safety reasons, but a
Car Tower Discovery attraction now makes the towers accessible to anyone who
can spare 15 minutes and a handful of euros. Visitors enter a six-person glass
box and are carried to the top story of a car tower by the same robotic lift
that's used for automobiles.
Picking up a VW in Wolfsburg
In Germany, it's common practice for car buyers to order
customized vehicles through local dealers and collect the cars at the factory.
Volkswagen's KundenCenter (customer center) in Wolfsburg delivers an
average of 550 new cars per day, for example, and representatives take photos of
families and their Volkswagens at the moment of adoption. VW even offers a
car-delivery package that includes an overnight at the
Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg,
tickets to the Autostadt, and a guided tour.
For well-heeled customers who want a last gas-guzzling fling
before collecting their new Golfs or Jettas, the factory offers pickup from any
address in Germany in a chauffeured VW Phaeton, Touareg, or Caravelle. The cost
is €1 per kilometer or €1.60 per mile.
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Top photo: Autostadt. Photographer: Rainier
Jensen.
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Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's