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VW's Speedy Gonzalez commercials

VW's Speedy Gonzalez commercials

Posted Mar 20th 2006 5:00PM

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Volkswagen has gotten a lot of flack within the Hispanic community for using Warner Bros. Speedy Gonzalez cartoon character as a mascot for its new Golf GTI hot hatch. The German Car Blog has all three commercials being aired up on its site for reader review. The first commercial features the famous sombrero-laden rodent dropping his pantalones in front of the camera. Is it offensive? You be the judge.

Category: Budget, Marketing/Advertising, Volkswagen

Tags: Golf, Golf GTI, GolfGti, GTI, Speedy Gonzalez, SpeedyGonzalez, Volkswagen, VW

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Roxann

Does anyone remember Speedy Gonzalez's complete name? It's driving me crazy--he would say it in the cartoon--and it ended in him saying "jr.". If anyone knows, PLEASE! Help put me out of this misery!!!!

December 21 2006 at 2:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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June 13 2006 at 11:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

whofan

"George Bush for Americans?"

Now, thats funny and offensive at the same time.

If George can be president I have all the brains I need to make it in this country.

So go ahead and laugh at me.

March 21 2006 at 9:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Alex

As a young hispanic man, I thought the commercials were halarious. I don't find the commercials the least bit offensive...when you say "the hispanic community" be specific and just say "the old spanish farts"...they're like regular old people, only bitchier

March 21 2006 at 2:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

rob

first of all, hispanics are NOT all mexicans. i love it that hicks, too, now have the internet and can share their ignorance with everybody here on autoblog.

#15...i hope you are joking.

i do agree that things can become a little too "PC" sometimes - but as you can notice yourself in these comments, there are a few people who manage to take advantage of that to decry those sensitive about such topics as "silly minorities" and make cracks at them.

March 21 2006 at 1:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Peter W.

"the point is that you are supposed to want to drive the GTI and see that there are better things coming out now than their ads. They have new management and seem to be finding their way again. It won't happen overnight, but the GTI is getting good reviews."

Yes, but I feel VW is grotesquely late to the party. VW spent so much time dicking around waiting to bring the MK V bodystyle over the pond... that lighter, more powerful, cheaper cars will come and undercut VW really, really easily and relatively soon.

Dodge (SRT-4) Scion (tC super, tC gen2) and Mazda (mazdaspeed3) are poised to enter their FWD rockets and the only thing that the GTI will have on them is styling and "German engineering"... which are both extremely subjective. I anticipate lots of people waiting to just get the faster, cheaper cars and leaving the VW for the posers.

I'm guessing the people that will buy a MK V GTI are the same people who have been buying VW for the past 3 years: VW enthusiasts who want to keep VW viable while they figure out ways to stop sucking, and people who don't know any better.

March 21 2006 at 12:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Christian

Talis: "I am Italian and German"

I feel sorry for you.

March 21 2006 at 12:51 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

i don't think asking whether or not these ads are offensive is relevant here. and i don't think anyone out there has stated that they are offensive. the offensive ads that the media have been talking about are the billboards that said "turbo cajones". i can see how how those billboards may be offensive to some people. if you don't understand why, look at it this way: on US tv/ads etc., we can't even say "tits" instead of "breasts".

these commercials are great. i especially like the second one.

March 21 2006 at 12:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Steve Gomer

Lighten up? So where do you draw the line in the slippery slope of stereotyping?

Amos and Andy marketing for African Americans?
Slanty-eyed, buck toothed General Tojo WWII cartoons for Asians?
Drunken indian cartoons for native Americans?
Betty Boop for women?
Colonial Klink for Germans?
George Bush for Americans?

March 21 2006 at 11:57 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

rjj130

People seriously need to lighten up or this whole world is going to be one giant PC Nation and life will suck. Everyone will be affraid to say something for fear of someone else retaliated and stating that it's 'offensive' or 'racist'.

Get over it, get a life and move on. There are more important things to worry about in the world then VW targeting Hispanics by adding Speedy Gonzales to their GTI commercials.

I for one thought the first two were dumb, but did enjoy the cheese one.

March 21 2006 at 9:20 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply