Ich ben eine consumer

It took total cultural immersion that included a trip to -- good Lord -- a mall but Volkswagen designers have learned much about American drivers: "like why storage space is so important to them and why they can never have enough speakers in a vehicle. While Germans prize a car's driving capability and frown on eating while driving...Americans think of their cars like a second home or office."

Good for VW. They actually recognized there's a cultural gap between themselves and American consumers. This differentiates them from many American brand managers who, secure in their advanced degrees, generous salaries and friends who share the exact same opinions, never question their own ability to connect with shoppers in faraway locales. Like Lubbock.