Parking itself in the today is Real Racing GTI, a racing game designed by Firemint which, not surprisingly, features the . The game, which makes good use of the accelerometer built into the and , includes a showroom where users can explore the specifications of the new hatchback and custom design a virtual model.

"We're going to essentially take our message directly to the customer," said Tim Ellis, vice president of marketing for Volkswagen of America, Inc. Wednesday night at a New York press event directly across the street from the site where Microsoft unveiled Windows 7 on Thursday.

Volkswagen's decision to announce the car exclusively via the App Store is a tip of the cap to popularity of the online venue, where thousands of eyes peruse the offerings at any given moment. More than have been downloaded from the App Store since it opened.

Game players can enter a sweepstakes for one of six limited edition Volkswagen GTI MkVI hatchbacks being given away over six weeks. The game also makes good use of social networking, allowing users to capture their races and upload the video to YouTube and to send messages to other players via Twitter.