Volkswagen Group Rus starts the countdown to the Olympic Games in Sochi 

Kaluga, May 13, 2011 — Volkswagen Group Rus hosted a celebration with employees from their Kaluga factory, Olympic medalist Alexey Voevoda and Sochi Games Mascots to commemorate the 1,000 days to the start of the 2014 Games.

The recently unveiled Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Mascots — Leopard, Polar Bear, Bunny, Snowflake and Ray — arrived at the Volkswagen Group Rus plant in Kaluga to meet with factory workers who will produce part of the Olympic fleet in operation during the Games in Sochi.

"I am delighted that the Olympic movement has come to Kaluga and that our workers are able to share with us the joy of being part of Russia’s historic event in 2014,” said Josef Baumert, plant manager of Volkswagen Group Rus in Kaluga, opening up the formal part of the celebration.

General Director of Volkswagen Group Rus, Marcus Osegowitsch presented the company’s Olympic plans for the upcoming 1,000 days to Kaluga workers, the governor of the Kaluga region, Anatoly Artamonov, and Olympic Ambassador and Bobsled World Champion, Alexey Voevoda.

August 2011 will mark the start of the Sochi.Drive road show which will travel through 15 Russian cities in the summer months of 2011, 2012, 2013 and will culminate in a Grand Finale during the Games in Sochi. Residents of Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd and Krasnodar will be the first to join the Olympic and Paralympic movement in special contests, test drives, concerts and educational programs featured during the road show in 2011.

“Sochi.Drive will celebrate all major Olympic and Paralympic initiatives, promote winter sports and Russian Culture and showcase Russian athletic talent. Every stop of Sochi.Drive will provide interactive experiences, entertainment and the chance to witness the unveiling of special Olympic cars,” said Mr. Osegowitsch.

Mr. Osegowitsch unveiled the first in a series of special Olympic cars — a Volkswagen Polo sedan with special designs dedicated to the Olympic Games in Sochi. To help promote a sense of unity across the regions, Volkswagen Group Rus will release 15 designed Polo Sedans as Olympic Ambassador Cars of Russia’s different regions. The Olympic Ambassador Cars will reflect the characteristics of each region and will represent the cities during the Sochi games. Residents of each city along the Sochi.Drive route will be invited to submit designs that embody the spirit of their region and the Olympics. Winning designs and the growing collection of Ambassador Cars will be on display at each stop along the road show and used for different occasions through the Games in 2014.

In addition, Mr. Osegowitsch announced that in 2011 Volkswagen Group Rus will provide “the second batch of Olympic working vehicles, 46 cars, as part of the Sochi 2014 fleet.” The Olympic fleet of approximately 3,500 cars, made up of Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, will be used for the preparation and execution of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

During the celebration Michael Semenikhin, head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at Volkswagen Group Rus, gave Alexey Voevoda the keys to a specially designed Volkswagen Amarok, a mid-sized pick up truck that was recently launched onto the Russian market. Voevoda, a 2010 Olympic medalist and the 2011 European and World Bobsled champion, has been announced as the Olympic Ambassador for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the official face of the Amarok. Voevoda will be an active participant in many of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Olympic projects.

"The Volkswagen Amarok delivered the Olympic and Paralympic flags in Sochi in 2010, thereby becoming the flagship of Russia’s Olympic fleet,” said Mr. Semenikhin. “We were looking for a man who embodies the main qualities of our brand — power, strength and attractiveness. We are delighted that Alexey has accepted our offer and we hope that our car will be his constant companion on the road to high achievement.”

“I liked the Amarok as soon as I saw it and I’m glad to finally get behind the wheel of this car. I’m sure the special Olympic design will be a big hit in the streets of my hometown of Sochi,” said Alexey Voevoda.

The Amarok’s capabilities and values will be showcased through the Amarok Olympic Expedition, a meaningful Olympic initiative by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles planned for 2012. “A convoy of Amaroks specially equipped for heavy winter and off-road conditions will bring the Olympic spirit to the easternmost areas of Russia, its industrial centers and the traditional ethnic minorities,” said Mr. Semenikhin. “The Expedition will reach out to those communities in Russia that are a reflection of the diversity, history and size of the country, yet would hardly ever come in touch with the Olympic movement. The mission involves delivering Olympic elements in the form of meaningful sponsor contributions, symbols of the Games and even Games personalities to these communities in order to inform and engage them in the Olympic Movement.”

The official Sochi Mascots joined the 1,000 day celebration and were presented in connection with a special series of Škoda Yeti cars fitted with the designs of the five Sochi Mascots. “We have chosen the Škoda Yeti to be the car associated with the Olympic and Paralympic mascots. As a family car, the Škoda Yeti, named in honor of the mythical snowman who is the mascot of the Škoda brand, seemed a perfect fit for the Sochi Mascots. We have even assigned a special name to this collection of cars — ‘Talismobil.’ During the next 1,000 days the Sochi Mascots will visit Škoda dealerships where our customers can get to meet them and feel the Olympic spirit of friendship,” said Petr Janeba, head of Škoda brand in Russia.