'Volkswagen' car bomb ad causes controversy

The terrorist style exploding car commercial supposedly created by a psuedo-Volkswagen back in 2005 has controversy written all over it. The premise of the commercial is to show just how strong the Volkswagen Polo's chassis can be, even when involved in an explosion. That's fine and dandy, but did we really need to bring Jihad style terrorism into it? They could have used a variety of ways to show the VW Polo can take an interior explosion, but they chose to go below the belt when considering the Muslim community. The proclaimed Volkswagen ad doesn't come out and say this is a Muslim, but it's pretty obvious that the character is portraying the typical Jihad style bombings we hear about on the news.

Is it right for automobile manufacturers to use a controversial topic as an advertising tactic? This isn't the first time a commercial has caused controversy, and it surely won't be the last. With controversy comes exposure, even at the cost of stereotyping an entire culture and religion. Using the Jihad terrorist style bombing to help sell a vehicle is completely inappropriate. Even if it wasn't Jihad, the loss of human life from a car bombing is still inappropriate. I've seen some crazy and offensive stuff, but this totally takes the pie. 

A couple interviews with some of my Muslim readers suggest that this video is offensive and portrays Islam incorrectly. It should also be noted that even though  the video creator doesn't come out and say this is an Islamic terrorist, those that are actually Muslim see it as an attack against their religion. Due to the controversy behind this subject, all persons interviewed wish to remain completely anonymous."Peace is a basic pillar in Islam, Islam teaches people to be peaceful; to maintain others souls, to respect the soul that Allah gave us. Those suicidal bombings are against any Islamic ethic and are eliminated from Islam. We carry a message of peace."

When asked if this commercial is offensive, a long time reader replied, "It stings." Another interview with a non-Muslim reader also suggests that this is offensive. "They shouldn't even go there. Car bombings aren't a joke, people loose their lives; people of all races and creeds. I can't believe Volkswagen or whoever made this commercial is making fun of such a horrific subject. After all, American soldiers are giving their lives to defeat this evil. Car bombings are not a joking matter, and have no place in product promotion."

Despite the Volkswagen Polo's sport appearance, amazing handling, and incredible price; after watching this many people that I've interviewed have stated they will never buy a Volkswagen again, even though VW is denying it's official status. Both Muslim and non-Muslim's agree that this is totally inappropriate and whoever made this should have never went in this direction. According to various sources, Volkswagen is denying that they produced this commercial and that it is indeed a fake. If VW didn't produce it, then who did? Obviously someone with a large enough budget to afford decent CGI. Videos like this aren't cheap! So who is the mystery producer? The world may never know...

What do you think about this commercial? Do you find it offensive? What do you think VW should do about this ad? Comment your thoughts below.

NOTICE: This is a fake Volkswagen commercial, VW is claiming it never had anything to do with the following video.

Video content: Volkswagen Polo exploding Muslim car commercial

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Source: Tampa Sports Car Examiner