Television ad is good for a laugh

The television campaign Volkswagen is using to sell the new-look Passat in Europe is receiving just as much publicity as the car.

The advertisement shows a handful of blind American musicians riding home from a late-night gig, conveyed silently in an evidently luxurious car.

Just how comfortable the musicians are is confirmed when the power window glides down, creating wind roar.

"This is pretty good," says one of the jazzmen. "What type of car is it?" The driver answers: "A Volkswagen, sir."

The reply causes hysterical laughter - because the musicians are all old enough to remember the noise, vibration and often oily smells that accompanied travel in the old Beetle.