Beautiful isn’t it? Looks like it’s taken right out of a sci-fi movie. But the fact is, the Volkswagen’s vehicle storage facility located at Wolfsberg Wolfsburg, Germany, is real. And this is exactly how cool it looks.
The 20-storey garage is fully automated, and is meant to present to new car owners their latest purchase with a “TADA!” effect.
“In a fully automated procedure, your new car is brought down to you from one of the 20-story Car Towers. Large signboards in the Customer Center show you when your turn has come. Then, you’re handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand-new car appears. You’re all set to go.”
Not only does the design saves up to 20% of space versus conventional designs, automation helps avoid human-caused accidents within the garage. If any of you readers have access to the facility, come on, we need a video of that thing in action.
May 17th, 2006 at 12:32 am
dang, that’s awesome.
May 17th, 2006 at 11:14 am
Does it remind anyone else of those various alien films, or vampire films, where they’re just waiting to be hatched?
Spooky.
May 18th, 2006 at 5:56 pm
hi, im from germany and the city is named “wolfsburg” not wolfsberg.
its a pity that its far away from where im living, so i cant take a video or additional pictures… bad luck
May 18th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
found some other pictures:
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,546630,00.jpg
http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,546636,00.jpg
till now it stores brand new cares, that will be selled but soon it could become a normal garage (parking deck)
May 18th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
or The Matrix with its human battery pods.. ah yeah the huns have got it down with technology (and Weissbier).
May 19th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
this idea is in use in a town in italy cant remeber the name though!
May 19th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Is anyone else reminded of that Thunderbirds episode where the blonde one enters a race and the parking garage is has the same car holding arm and slidey action. Except in Thunderbirds there was a man with two levers controlling it.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:53 pm
It looks sorta like the garage from I-Robot
Its absolutely great!
May 22nd, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Hey guys,
It happens that I live just near Wolfsburg: in Helmstedt, which is about a 20 minute drive. (If you go 150mph, which is possible through our “Autobahn” being free for any speed you choose).
But I would have to disappoint you, because I have been at the “Autostadt” (which is translated as “Cartown”) and you cannot just walk in there and take photos or videos. You have to buy a car to get into the reception area, or you have to have a REALLY good reason to go in there.
And besides, to get into the tower is not permitted because, just as it was designed, nobody is supposed to go inside since it is an automated garage.
But I could still try to get some more pictures when I am in Wolfsburg the next time, which might be next week-end. At night the complex is astonishingly beautiful, they have installed flashing lights and there are the towers for the Powerplant which is used to produce electricity for the manufacturing.
I’ll do my best and will visit some time again!
cya Max from Germany
May 22nd, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Awesome, Max! Hope to hear from you again real soon!
July 21st, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Hey guys, has been a while, I’m sorry for that.
I have recently been at the Autostadt with two friends of mine from California and didn’t forget you guys so I took a couple of pictures.
I tried to get inside of the towers, but they wouldn’t let me even though I had a press pass…
Anyway, I took pictures from the outside, here they are:
Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3
have fun with the pictures,
cya Max
February 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I see we share a common interest! Excellent job on the website!