Volkswagen Cabriolet 'Milky Way' Commercial 

This is the commercial that started my career as a graphic designer. I saw this when it originally aired on TV and it brought happy tears to my eyes, and I said, "I wanna do that." So a month later I enrolled in a community college for graphic design, and at this point I've been designing for 10 years. I can say this advert literally changed my life.

The greatest commercial, EVER.

This is where I was first exposed to Nick's music.

This is the perfect example of non-direct advertising. None of the statistics about the car are mentioned, including gas mileage, horsepower or price. It's just a commercial about a VW convertible with the top down on a summer night and the magic of being part of the outdoors while driving in your car. When they reach the party not a word had to be spoken. We just see the turn signal flash once. And they are back out driving in the summer night's wind under the moon. The unsaid message, "It's not about the destination, but the journey." Pure genius!

This commercial introduced me to Nick Drake and changed my life forever. It was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris (husband and wife couple famous for the Smashing Pumpkins video "Tonight, Tonight" and the film "Little Miss Sunshine"

Volkswagen, thank you for introducing me to the wonderful music of Nick Drake!

If VW put a clean copy of this as ad roll on youtube I'd watch it every time.

When I was young, I would just drive around. That got old then I would ride a motorcycle around. I don't get those feelings now, and I miss them.

This is exactly what Nick Drake would have done if he rolled up to the party as well. Only difference being it would just be himself in the car.

The dudebro goin WOOOOO! and the eyerolls 🤣 This is THE most quintessentially GenX 90’s commercial ever made. This was what we did - drive around (gas was like 89cents/gal at this time) listening to our obscure mixtapes…

Best commercial ever. Beautiful, haunting song.....and her "look" at him at the end. Makes me wish I were young again.

This is the best car commercial ever made...and, well the only one I remember. I only found it now again in researching who directed the Smashing Pumpkin's Tonight Tonight video. When I saw they did a vw commercial, I instantly knew which one it had to be. What's really odd is that I even remember where I was when I saw this the first time... It was so different and so poignant.

I remember being 9 or 10 years old, watching the teen drama shows on The WB (I was definitely too young for them), but I always remembered how beautiful this commercial was. It was everything I hoped my young adulthood would be: driving around a moonlit night with friends. My teenage years were nothing like this, lol. But now, even in my thirties, it represents such a beautiful idea of time spent with those we care about.

Wow , I was about 15 at the time this commercial came out and soon as I would hear it I'd stop what I was doing to watch it , because I was getting ready to start driving and that's what I wanted to do drive at night on the country roads and not be around the party scene

Life was better in 1999

I never ended up being a VW Cabrio owner, but used to have a bud with a vintage Fiat 124 Spider. We spent many a hot summer night just tooling around being up to no good, enjoying the same experience of these kids, where no words had to be spoken, no destination had to be chosen, and nothing obstructed you from the world above. This incredible minute of advertising comes closer than anything else to recapturing that, and I give credit to it for eventually making me the owner of several VWs and eventually a Miata. And I will always do my damndest to support any manufacturer with the the heart, soul, and guts to keep affordable convertibles alive so that others can experience this for themselves one day. 💗

Best. Commercial.Ever.

Probably the best Volkswagen commercial.

Man this takes me back. I remember seeing this back in college.

I think this is the only commercial I ever liked.

21 years since I first saw this commercial, and it's still the best of all time.

The thing that makes this great is that it says so much, so simply.

I remember seeing this commercial on TV. It really did have an impact on me and how I looked at cars ...

This was the first car I ever bought. Used. About 6 years after the commercial.

This takes me back to my last year or so of high school. It reminds me so much of those times. I’m almost a little heartsick thinking about it.

Me and my friends use to go driving late at night with nothing to do, funnest times of my life.

Did this commercial win any awards? If not then it should have.

~ Pink Moon 1972 R.I.P. the great and wonderful Nick Drake! Cheers, DAVEDJ ~

This is one of the most beautiful commercials I've ever seen. I remember seeing it when it first came on, I loved it then, I love it now. I wish it was longer, hell I wish we could go with them on that drive. Just magical

Billiant commercial with symbolism of freedom, tranquility, responsibility and friendship. Its song about nuclear anniliation but with a bitter sweet melody! It spell-binding and hypnotic to the viewer.

Reminds me of when my mom and I drove home at night; good memories!

Real talk…BEST commercial made. Makes remember driving my Jeep down a lone country road with the lights off using the moonlight to guide me. Pure bliss.

I love how the girl finally looks back at him at the end. Did he see her?... IDK.

Not a single word of dialogue, but it says so much. How many of us have that boy in the back seat, unable to take your eyes off her, just waiting for that moment when she finally looks back at you...

I was 19 when this came out. It was magic. Felt like I shared the interests of everyone in that car. I was already a VW fan but man did this set the hooks.

One of the big decisions back in the day: get to the party in a car full of friends and then F it, just keep driving.

I still think this is a great ad, and now in my fifties it makes me wish I had made good decisions in my youth like these people in the car did. Sometimes the best times aren't at the keg party.

I remember seeing this commercial on TV back in the day Volkswagen always had the best car commercials I remember a few years back when they were doing commercials about their cars getting into accidents good way to show how safe they are

I was 19 when this came out. It was magic. I was already a VW fan but man did this set the hooks.

I wanna make commercials like this...... one day....

Awesome

SONNENSCHEIN One of those commercials That truly makes me cry... But you’d have to really know me To understand just why.

My girlfriend played Pink Moon by Nick Drake just now and I instantly recognized it but I couldn't put my finger on when or where I had heard it. It needed a wikipedia search. As soon as I saw Volkswagen on the page I knew it was this commercial even if I hadn't seen it in over ten years. Beautiful and powerful combination of images and sound. Thanks for uploading.

This commercial was epic in its advertising. It’s applying that its young drivers are intelligent and above the vomiting and craziness of the typical house party scene. This is sending a strong message that alcohol is not needed to enjoy good times. Obviously kids this young wouldn’t be able to afford the payments of this car without their parents. So it also communicates to them , that their kid who wants this car is responsible enough to have it.

:54 is all you need to know about this GOAT commercial.

Wow, I can't believe this commercial is over 10 years old...

i love my cabrio.

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are incredible!

I think the original song that was supposed to go with this is "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. If you play the beginning of that song while watching this video, it does kinda fit. But, in the end I'm glad they went with Pink Moon.

Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, San Gregorio...

I lived in Phoenix AZ when this ad came out and I was an owner of a 1993 Geo Metro Convertible. Even though my car was far less exciting as the Cabrio in the ad, I understood the ad's message. There is something truly unique about driving your convertible on a warm evening in the desert down a less traveled road. If I could go back in time and do it again, I would just to take it all in.

I forgot that this commercial was burned into my very soul…..then Rachel and Griffin McElroy mentioned it on their stinkin adorable podcast that I JUST got into….and now I’m a nostalgic mess cause I’m an old loser😪

I love this spot!!!!

Lindo comercial! Poesia que cria personalidade para a marca. Genial!

This better have won a fucking Clio!

ahhhh i neeed

RIP Alan Arkin

I just watched this and now I’m buying a Buick

Volkswagon sure does love its licensed music. I wonder how close "sniffy-dog" could get to replicating Nick Drake...

They need to remake this

Best commercial ever.

Prolly the best choice to leave really..otherwise drunk driving later on and CRASH! 😮

Nick drake???

now the closest car to the VW Cabrio is Audi A5

Lol. Tickets best be cheap!

I hate it when music I love gets used in commercials. Hate it. I get really angry to see something that I have a visceral emotional attachment to get used for the crass purpose of selling something. There have only been two exceptions, ever, in my having this reaction. And this commercial is one of them.

this is for the cabrio, cabriolet is a different car. =)

Moby brought me here

I thought this was a girls car?

LOL, they're all tripping

such a desecration.

It's awful to use a song from pink moon in a commercial