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The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 2023-2024

Volkswagen gave away free plans to turn Kombis into EVs

VW published open-source EV conversion blueprints for its Kombi so owners could electrify their own vans.

Volkswagen

the move

The Kombi is Volkswagen's icon of progressiveness, but the beloved van is still a petrol vehicle and its owners face a future where that is increasingly hard to defend. The obvious response would have been a greener new model or a sustainability advertising campaign.

Instead, Volkswagen New Zealand and DDB Group Aotearoa published The Greenprint: open-source plans that anyone can use to turn a Kombi into an electric vehicle in 20 steps. Owners could buy an all-in-one conversion kit or source approved parts themselves and pay Volkswagen nothing. An online hub held details for each step, along with user-generated videos and FAQs, and the site was voice-enabled for moments when owners were working under their cars with greasy hands.

The project was shortlisted at the 2024 Spikes Asia Awards with three nominations in the Direct category, and the team said Greenprints for the Golf and Beetle were next, aiming to make the brand an icon of progressiveness for a new generation.

why it works

  • Free plans prove the brand's values by action rather than by claim.
  • Owners become contributors, generating videos and FAQs for one another.
  • The kit is a real product line, not just a gesture.
  • The story earns coverage instead of paid ads.
the payoffSell the values; give away the know-howinspired

what transfers

When your brand promise is a value like progressiveness, prove it by giving the audience the means to act on it - the giveaway of know-how builds more trust and community than any claim.

what came after

The Greenprint earned design-award recognition and a Spikes Asia 2024 shortlist, and VW said it was planning conversions for the Golf and Beetle, extending the open-source idea across its icons.

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