Back in 1987 Genesis had a sponsorship with Pernod, a typical French soft drink brand. Pernod had nothing to do with rock music, but it made the ‘Invisible Touch Tour’ financially possible. So when Genesis hit the road again in 1992 the band looked for a new sponsor. They found one with Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer. Back then, Volkswagen had to spice up its rather dusty image, and contracting a popular rock band would make them appealing to younger customers. Volkswagen supported the European part of the tour. Genesis played 23 concerts in 14 countries from early June to the end of August. The highlight of their collaboration was the three sold-out Genesis concerts in Hanover, which were fully equipped by Volkswagen.
Volkswagen designed two special ‘Genesis’ cars. Both the ‘VW Polo Coupé Genesis’ and the ‘VW Golf Cabriolet Genesis’ were in high demand from the start. Volkswagen did a great job making the cars look smooth and equipping them with an incredible 10-speaker sound system. The side panels on the outside were provided with the characteristic Genesis lettering and little musical instruments in violet and turquoise.
Several promotional brochures for these cars exis, and few are in the gallery. A German press kit for the Polo Coupé is included. It contains a few words from Volkswagen, an introduction to the 1992 tour and four photographs. In one of them, the band is seen posing with the car and listening the sound of the motor. This photo was used for many advertisements and press statements.
In the gallery, there’s also a photo of Banks, Collins and Rutherford signing the engine hood of a Polo Coupé. This photo was presumably taken in Rotterdam, Holland. One might wonder where that particular car is located now. It might be in the possession of a Genesis collector or perhaps a car collector. Either way, it must be worth a small fortune.