Pulman Crossbar Challenge at Newcastle United

Ryan Kelsey and Phil Pearson took centre stage at the Newcastle United verse Liverpool football game for a chance to win the brand new Pulman Volkswagen up!

Phil Pearson and Ryan Kelsey

After an online video which generated over 30,000 views after only 3 weeks, starring Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Simpson, Mehdi Abeid and Ryan Taylor, Phil Pearson and Ryan Kelsey were the two lucky people chosen to take part in the Pulman crossbar challenge.

Ryan Kelsey commented: “It was a dream come true to walk onto the sacred pitch. Surprisingly I wasn’t as nervous as what I thought; it was a brilliant moment stepping out in front of 50,000 fans. Both my wife and myself had a fantastic day.”

Both Ryan and Phil won two tickets to watch the game live, an exclusive backstage tour before the game, to take part in the Pulman crossbar challenge at half time and a signed Newcastle United T-Shirt.

Phil Pearson commented: “It was great to have the opportunity to take part in the crossbar challenge; I was even more excited to go to the game and step onto the pitch. The day was great especially with the backstage tour beforehand.”

Both Ryan and Phil had three chances to hit the crossbar from the 18 yard line. If they hit the bar twice they would have won the brand new Volkswagen up! Ryan came very close hitting the bar once and was millimetres away from hitting it a second time. CLICK HERE and take a look at the attempts.

Natalie Wilson, Marketing Manager at Pulman commented, “the whole day was fantastic, I only wish that either Ryan or Phil would have won the car, unfortunately that was not meant to be this time. However we look forward to providing more win a car competitions’ in conjunction with Newcastle United in the future.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Ryan and Phil for taking part in the Pulman crossbar challenge, along with Newcastle United and Just Out Marketing who produced a fantastic video which started this whole fantastic journey.”

For more information on the new Volkswagen up! visit www.thevolkswagenup.co.uk 

SUNDERLAND SEAT RETAILER NAMED UK'S BEST

Sunderland car retailer Pulman SEAT has been named as the dynamic Spanish brand's Dealer of the Year after just one full year of trading.

Pulman SEAT named SEAT Dealer of the Year

The Southwick dealership won the accolade for its outstanding overall performance and was crowned by SEAT UK Director, Peter Wyhinny, at a major conference.

Ecstatic Pulman bosses then returned to the retailer's Burntland Avenue showroom where they popped open the champagne for an impromptu celebration.

They also toasted team member Alex Paget, who was named SEAT's Used Car Manager of the year at the same time.

A delighted Mike Pulman, Managing Director of the Pulman Group, said: 'This is an incredible achievement and was only possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of each and every member of the team.  I'm really proud of what they've achieved and they should all be proud of themselves.

Mike Pulman and the team celebrate

'The Dealer of the Year award not only looks at how we're performing as a business it also, more importantly, takes a customer-eye view of how we're doing in the areas that matter the most.

‘The Pulman promise is to deliver a fantastic customer experience every time, and winning this award is testament to how hard each member of the Pulman team work on achieving our promise.

'To have won means we must be doing things right and we now need to work even harder to ensure our standards don't slip.'

Awards judges scrutinised all areas of operation for every dealer in SEAT's 125-strong UK network across a 12-month period before selecting Pulman SEAT as their winner. This included detailed analysis of the retailer's performance against sales targets as well as its customer service scores.

Alex Paget named the Used Car Manager of the Year

Meanwhile, Alex Paget scooped the used car award following an equally tough process, during which his turnover of stock was closely monitored and his customer service skills were put to the test by a series of mystery shoppers.

Alex said: 'This award is not just recognition for me but for the whole of the hardworking team here at Pulman.

‘It’s also validation of our approach which is to make the experience of buying a used car every bit as fantastic as buying a new car.’

Max shows Newcastle United’s quartet how it’s done.

Jonas Gutierrez, Danny Simpson, Mehdi Abeid and Ryan Taylor all took part in the Pulman Volkswagen crossbar challenge video, a competition made famous by Soccer AM. It’s a humours and fantastic short-video of the four Newcastle players attempting to hit the crossbar, then at the end young Max shows the quartet how it’s done.

The video was produced to help celebrate the new Volkswagen up! competition by Pulman Volkswagen. Pulman and Newcastle United joined forces to create a fantastic competition. The competition is a crossbar challenge at the Newcastle vs Liverpool game in which two lucky people will have the chance to win a brand new Volkswagen up!

Natalie Wilson, Marketing Manager at Pulman commented, “We have a fantastic partnership with Newcastle United, and when the new Volkswagen up! was launched, first thing we wanted to do was to offer this car in a competition.

After speaking with Newcastle United, we both jumped at the chance to create the halftime crossbar challenge to win the new up!. We can’t wait for the game on the 1^st April and will definitely be wishing the contestants luck to win the car.”

Julie Stout from Just Out Marketing commented: “Making the video was great fun, everyone at Newcastle, the players and of course young Max were fantastic! We were really honoured that we were asked to do the video.

Danny Simpson tweeted: “I personally think the acting was pretty good”. It’s a great video and a fantastic competition to win a brand new up!, which has just been launched by Volkswagen as their new city car. Already receiving rave reviews and winning the WhatCar small car of the year award.

Take a look at the video and let us know what you think at www.pulmanvolkswagen.co.uk/up

Car raises thousands for NSPCC at auction

Children from a Newcastle primary school have helped raise thousands of pounds for the NSPCC by decorating a car for a charity auction.

Hania and Nyah from St Catherine’s RC School in Newcastle were winners in an artwork competition organised by motor retailer Pulman to celebrate 25 years of the NSPCC’s ChildLine service.   

The pair had their designs displayed on a Volkswagen Fox, which was donated to the NSPCC Grand Ball auction by Pulman, raising an impressive £7,000 for the charity.

As well as having their designs displayed on the car, Hania, from year 5, won tickets to a Newcastle United match for four people. Nyah, from year 3, won a signed Newcastle United replica shirt and a football signed by Alan Shearer. 

Pulman Marketing Manager Natalie Wilson said: “We wanted to donate the car as an auction prize and we thought it would be great to involve local children at St Catherine’s to make the car extra special. We had some great entries in the drawing competition and Hania and Nyah both did a fantastic job. There was a lot of interest in the car at the Ball and everyone commented on the brilliant pictures.”

St Catherine’s Head Teacher Michael Ewing said: "Children at St Catherine's are familiar with the work of NSPCC, particularly through the Childline service. Many families have supported their fundraising activities over the recent past, so we were very happy to involve the children in designing the NSPCC logo for the car. 

“Both Hania and Nyah were delighted when they heard the news that their entries had won and they couldn't stop smiling when they saw that their designs had been reproduced on the car. We were so pleased to support this NSPCC project as the work they do helps to improve lives for vulnerable families in the North East."

Pulman are long standing supporters of the NSPCC and co-sponsored the Grand Ball, alongside Newcastle International Airport. 

Pulman have Volkswagen and SEAT retailers across the North East, and for the past 10 years have raised over £200,000 for the NSPCC. Natalie continued: “We are very passionate about giving and helping our local community, and are very proud to support the NSPCC.”

NSPCC head of local fundraising for the North East, Wendy Bates said: “Well done to Hania and Nyah.  Their wonderful designs made the car totally unique.  I’m sure that’s what led to the increased interest in the car at auction and helped to raise such a fantastic amount. Thanks also to Pulman for donating the car. They have supported the NSPCC for a number of years, raising thousands of pounds to help local vulnerable children and their families. It’s thanks to corporate sponsors like Pulman, as well as ongoing support from the public, that the NSPCC can continue to provide services to help vulnerable children and their families.”

Anyone who would like to find out more about supporting the NSPCC can visit www.nspcc.org.uk or call the North East fundraising team on 0191 227 5300.

New Volkswagen Beetle – Now Open for ordering

Introducing the brand new Volkswagen Beetle! Available to order from October 2011 and available for delivery from April 2012. At launch, two engines will be available: a 1.2 litre TSI 105 PS DSG and a 1.4 litre 160 PS TSI.

The fantastic Beetle is lower, longer and wider than its immediate predecessor, giving it a much more dynamic and sporty presence. Its shape, which has more in common with the classic Beetle than the 1998 car, is a modern reinterpretation of the original Beetle.

There has been a great leap forward in technology, with new engines emitting much less CO₂ than the previous model and features such iPod connectivity and Bluetooth phone preparation now available.

Available in 3 trim levels: Beetle, Design Beetle and Sport. The 1.2 litre Beetle and Design trims are available from £16,490. The 1.4 litre Design and Sport trims are available from £19,470. Three other engines – a 1.6 litre TDI BlueMotion 105 PS, 2.0 litre TDI 140 PS and 2.0 litre 200 PS will be joining the Beetle line-up towards the end of 2012.

The standard Beetle trim comes with air conditioning, remote central locking, an RCD 310 CD system with DAB radio and rear Isofix seat preparation.

The mid-level Design trim adds 17 inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth telephone preparation, multi-device interface iPod connectivity, front fog lights, an alarm, leather steering wheel and body-coloured dashboard.

The top of the range Sport specification adds 18 inch alloy wheels, tinted glass, cruise control, sports seats, parking sensors, gloss black door mirrors, dashboard and door panel and climate control.

The Beetle will be available with additional optional extra’s including, satellite navigation systems, panoramic sunroof, bi-xenon headlights and the Fender sound pack, offering 400W output and a subwoofer.

 

 
Visit Pulman Volkswagen for more information: www.pulmanvolkswagen.co.uk

Abbey Road, Durham and  Newcastle Road, Sunderland.

Let it Snow, let it snow, let is snow…be prepared with Winter Tyres

With Pulman be prepared for the snow this winter! Pulman have launched their brand new service ‘Hotel4Tyres’, which in short supplies, fits and stores winter tyres for you.

We have all experienced the recent harsh winters, and as much as we hope that the snow will stay away this year, the likelihood is that we will be facing the same cold and freezing winter.

Pulman believe in delivering a fantastic customer experience, which is why they have produced a winter tyre and service programme to help keep customers safe and prepared for winter.

Calling it ‘Hotel4Tyres’, Pulman are offering winter tyres at not only fantastic rates, but a fully comprehensive service, all included. As well as supplying a wide range of winter tyres with or without wheels, Hotel4Tyres will store and fit the winter tyres for you. As well as storing and re-fitting your summer tyres. They will even store your winter tyres again ready for next year. So you don’t have to worry or organise a thing!

“We believe in delivering a fantastic customer experience and the Pulman ‘Hotel for Tyres’ does just that. We are helping our customers to prepare for winter! Winter Tyres are a fantastic solution to help people drive in snow and icy conditions. Our ‘hotel for tyres’ service ensures that our customers are ready for winter without the hassle of storing, fitting or re-fitting their tyres. We take care of that for them.” (Paul Collins, Parts Manager)

Winter tyres are specially made to give you more grip on icy, wet or snowy roads. Paul Collins continues, “Winter tyres sometimes have the misunderstanding of just been used on snowy roads, however as soon as the temperature drops below 7⁰C winter tyres will start to perform better and more efficiently than summer tyres.

A winter tyre is made with a higher natural rubber content that keeps tyres soft and flexible even in colder weather conditions. By switching to winter tyres you are not only ensuring your safety when driving, but pro-longing the life of both winter and summer tyres.”

Visit www.Hotel4Tyres.co.uk to find out more about winter tyres, winter driving tips and how to get prepared for winter. Supply, fit and store winter tyres in one complete package. 

The first photos of the Volkswagen up!

The first photos of the Volkswagen up! have been released, ahead of the new small car making its debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The up! is an entirely new design, offering maximum space on a minimal footprint (3.54 x 1.64 m), making it ideal for driving in the world’s cities. It will be launched in Europe in December.

There are three versions for different budgets and needs: take up! is the entry-level car, move up! the comfort-oriented model and high up! the top version.  At the car’s market launch, there will also be two models based on the high up!: up! black and up! white.

 

Making its debut in the up! is a new generation of three-cylinder petrol engines, with outputs of 60 PS and 75 PS.  Combined fuel consumption as a BlueMotion Technology version (including a Stop/Start system) is 4.2 l/100 km (60 PS), and CO₂ emissions for this version are less than 100 g/km. There are also plans for an up! with electric drive.

An important new safety technology in the up! is the optional City Emergency Braking system. It is automatically active at speeds under 18 mph, and uses a laser sensor to detect the risk of an impending collision. Depending on speed and situation, City Emergency Braking can reduce accident severity by initiating automatic brake interventions that can even avoid a crash. So far, the up! is the only vehicle in the segment to be offered with this function.

At 3.54 metres in length and 1.64 metres in width and 1.48 metres in height, the up! is one of the smallest four-seater cars. Its overall length consists of short body overhangs and a long wheelbase of 2.42 metres. Use of space in the car is exceptionally good, because of the wheelbase, which is one of the longest in the segment, combined with an engine that is mounted well forward. The 251-litre boot is also significantly larger than is typical in this class. When the rear seat is fully folded, cargo space is increased to 951 litres.

The interior is as colourful as it is capacious, with either decor paint or body colour (depending on the equipment line) used in the interior, including across the dashboard facia. The clean and well-organised layout of the interior of the up! also offers clever details, fun styling and a level of quality that will enhance the market segment.

For the first time in a Volkswagen, the maps + more system is now being offered, which is a mobile Personal Infotainment Device (PID).  In the economically priced up!, this is an equally economical system that was developed to organise navigation, telephone, information and entertainment, and was designed in cooperation with Navigon, one of the world’s leading suppliers of navigation systems. 

The user simply snaps the PID into place above the centre console.  Unlike many other similar systems of this type, maps + more melds with the car’s network of systems more effectively: navigation, telephone and infotainment can be controlled and viewed via the maps + more touchscreen, which can also be used to view vehicle information, such as the display of the parking sensors (where fitted).  Apps specially developed for the up! also let users extend maps + more to meet their specific needs.

The new Volkswagen Up! Are you excited...