We're not going to lie to you here, during last year's Super Bowl, a small boy in a Darth Vader costume stole our hearts. And if you saw the 30-second spot for the all-new Volkswagen Passat, you'd probably have a hard time disagreeing with us, right? Millions of people watched as a pint-sized Vader tried to use the force on anything and everything in his house - from his lunch to the family's dog to an innocent baby doll. About ready to give up, he runs out to the driveway where Dad has just parked his 2012 Passat. And the car, much to boy's surprise, roars to life (thanks to Dad's remote control activation from inside the house).

And then, the commercial went viral. With over 45-million hits on YouTube and an estimated 6.8 billion impressions, it's no wonder that sales of the Passat jumped after the ad. In fact, in the first two months after the sedan hit the market, American dealers sold more units than the 2011 model in an entire year. That's certainly one way to make a statement, isn't it?

Needless to say, Volkswagen has recently announced that they've purchased a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5^th. It seems like a no brainer - though we have to admit that we think they're going to have a hard time topping last year's ad. But, we're certainly excited to see what they have in store this year.

Here's what we do know about the ad: it will star the New Volkswagen Beetle, and it will air at the beginning of the third quarter. Given the success of the Passat after last year's ad, we're also pretty sure we'll watch sales of the 2012 Beetle rise steadily after the big game.

The major difference between this year and last year being that the 2012 Beetle is already available. That's right, you don't have to wait until February to stop in and see us at Gurley Leep Motors to take one for a spin or learn more about all of the exciting innovations Volkswagen has been working on in the last year. Be sure to contact us via our website to ask any of your questions, or stop into our showroom at 4004 Grape Rd Mishawaka, IN 46545 to see any of the currently-available new Volkswagen models.