Volkswagen

Volkswagen
Company type	Division
Industry	Automotive
Founded	28 May 1937; 87 years ago
Founder	German Labour Front
Headquarters	Wolfsburg, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Thomas Schäfer (CEO, Volkswagen Passenger Cars)
Revenue	322,284,000,000 Euro (2023)
Operating income	22,576,000,000 Euro (2023)
Net income	17,928,000,000 Euro (2023)
Parent	Volkswagen Group
Website	volkswagen.com

Volkswagen (VW; German pronunciation: [ˈfɔlksˌvaːɡn̩] (listen))^{[Note 1]} is a car company from Germany. The word volkswagen means "People's car" in German. Its headquarters are in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. It was started in the 1930s, at the request of the country's leader, Adolf Hitler, to produce a car designed by Ferdinand Porsche. 1935

History

In the 1930s Adolf Hitler was looking for someone who could make a cheap car that the common German worker could afford. At the same time, Ferdinand Porsche had been working for years on a cheap car that could hold a family and would drive like a real car, not a micro car. He had already designed and built small cars with rear engines and shaped like a beetle (for better aerodynamics). At this time, owning a car in Germany was something only for the rich people, and most car companies were not interested in making a low-cost car. Porsche's company, also called Porsche, only made designs for others at that time. So Porsche could not find anyone to make the small car that he wanted.^[1]

Though Hitler never learned to drive, he was very interested in cars (he also created the autobahn, which led to the U.S. interstate highways). Hitler wanted the car to hold four people. It was to be cooled by oil instead of water. The car needed to be able to travel at least 100 km/h, or about 60 mph, and use no more than 7 liters of gasoline for 100 kilometers (about 34 mpg). The car companies in Germany at the time didn't want to make this new low-cost car, so Hitler formed a new company, run by the government. The first name given to the car was "KdF-Wagen." "KdF" stood for Kraft durch Freude, or "Strength through Joy." Some were made, but by the time the factory was finished in 1938, World War II started. The factory then built jeep-like cars for the German military instead.

1949 Volkswagen Beetle

After the war, people from the United Kingdom and the United States reopened the factory and started making cars again. The factory was in ruins from the war and could only make a few cars at a time. The British military were in charge of this section of Germany. At first they tried to find another car company to rebuild the factory. Henry Ford was offered the company for free. After looking it over, his adviser said "Mr. Ford, what we are being offered here is not worth a damn!"^[1] So the Volkswagen company went ahead by itself to make the car. The man who led the Volkswagen company during this time was Heinz Nordhoff.

At first they only made one type of car, the Volkswagen Beetle. (It was simply called the Type 1 Sedan by the company, it also had the nickname "Bug" in the U.S. and other nicknames elsewhere). In 1950, the Type 2 (the bus) was introduced, also built with an engine in the back of the vehicle. The cars became popular and well-known all over the world. The Beetle later became one of the best selling cars in history. It was built for many years afterward in factories in Germany, Brazil and Mexico.

The last original Volkswagen Beetle to be built was built in Mexico. It was built in July 2003. Volkswagen has a new car called the "New Beetle." which began selling in 1997, It looks like the old car, but is built quite differently. It is faster, safer, and has an engine in the front, not the back, and is water-cooled (using a radiator). It is much more suited to today's modern world in terms of design and security.

Volkswagen is currently involved in an emissions test scandal.^[2]

In November 2024 workers at Volkswagen's Osnabrück plant in Germany threatened strike action as part of ongoing regional protests over wage disputes. The strikes were organized by the IG Metall union.^[3] The plant, reportedly a potential target for closure under Volkswagen's restructuring and cost-cutting plans, operates under unique labor contract terms allowing strikes before December, unlike other Volkswagen plants in western Germany. IG Metall has called for a 7% wage increase, contrasting with an offer of a 3.6% raise over 27 months from employers' associations, who have described the union's demands as unrealistic. ^[3]

Recent vehicles

Some of Volkswagen's popular cars are the Golf, Jetta, Polo,Beetle and the Passat. VW's as they are commonly known, have also entered the off-road segment with cars like the Touarag, and the commercial segment with the Touran. This year sees VW's 21st anniversary since the Golf 1 went on sale in the 1980s. Since its birth VW has sold over 315,000 units of the Golf 1 alone. 2006 saw the entry of the fifth generation of the Golf. The flagbearer - the GTI - is powered by a 147Kw 2.0l 4 cylinder turbo charged engine,with VW DSG and FSI technology. The Golf GTI has evolved a long way since the 80's but the fifth generation GTI is criticised by some as it does not live up to the expectations and standards set by the legendary Mk1 GTI, which was fitted with an 1600, 8 valve motor.

Models

Passenger vehicles

Vehicles exclusive to Latin America Vehicles exclusive to China Other vehicles not sold in the core European market

Body style				Current generation		Platform	Vehicle description
Body style	Image	Name(s)	Introduction (cal. year)	Introduction	Main markets	Platform	Vehicle description
Hatchback		Golf	1974	2019	Global	MQB Evo	C-segment hatchback.
		ID.3	2019	2019	Europe and China	MEB	Battery electric C-segment hatchback.
		Polo	1975	2009	Global (except North America and India)	PQ26	B-segment hatchback or supermini. Two generations (Mk5 and Mk6) are currently produced alongside each other for certain markets.
		Polo	1975	2017	Global (except North America and India)	MQB A0
Sedan/ liftback		Arteon	2017	2017	Global (except India)	MQB	D-segment fastback or four-door coupe. Successor to the Volkswagen CC.
		Bora	1999	2018	China	MQB	Sister model to the Lavida. Exclusively manufactured by FAW-Volkswagen.
		ID.7	2023	2023	Europe, China and North America	MEB	Battery electric D-segment liftback. Built above a dedicated vehicle platform MEB platform.
		Jetta/ Sagitar/ Vento	1979	2018	Americas, China and Middle East (except Turkiye and Israel)	MQB A1	Compact sedan (C-segment). Historically a sedan version of the Golf. Sold as the Vento in Argentina and Uruguay. The Sagitar is the Chinese version of the Jetta with longer wheelbase.
		Polo	2020	2020	Central Asia	PQ25	Based on the Škoda Rapid. Only produced between 2020 and 2022 but stock is continued to be offered outside of Russia.
		Lamando	2014	2022	China	MQB Evo	A four-door coupe or a low-roof sedan for the Chinese market in the same segment as the Sagitar. Exclusively manufactured by SAIC-Volkswagen.
		Lavida	2008	2018	China	MQB A1	Sister model to the Bora. Has been Volkswagen's best selling model in China and typically the best selling sedan of all brands in China.^[4] Exclusively manufactured by SAIC-Volkswagen.
		Magotan	2005	2024	China	MQB Evo	The Chinese version of the Passat B9 with a longer wheelbase.
		Passat	1973	2024	China	MQB Evo	A sedan developed for the Chinese market, different from the European Passat. Exclusively manufactured by SAIC-Volkswagen.
		Virtus / Polo Sedan / Lavida XR	2017	2017	Latin America, India and China	MQB A0	Sedan version of the Polo Mk6. Currently produced and marketed in Latin America, India, Central Asia and China.
Station wagon		Arteon Shooting Brake	2020	2020	Europe, China and others	MQB	Shooting brake version of the Arteon.
		Golf Variant/ Sportwagen	1993	2020	Europe, etc.	MQB Evo	Station wagon version of the Golf. The Alltrack model being the crossover-inspired version.
		ID.7 Tourer	2024	2024	Europe	MEB	Station wagon version of the ID.7.
		Passat	1973	2023	Europe, Turkiye and Israel	MQB Evo	The European market Passat, only available as a station wagon since 2023.
Crossover SUV		Atlas/ Teramont	2017	2017	Americas, Middle East (except Turkiye and Israel) and China	MQB	Three-row mid-size crossover SUV for the North American and Chinese markets. Also sold in select other LHD markets including Latin America and Middle East.
		Atlas Cross Sport / Teramont X	2019	2019	Americas and China	MQB	Two-row versions of the regular Atlas/Teramont with a sloping rear roof.
		ID.4	2020	2020	Global	MEB	C-segment full-electric crossover SUV built above a dedicated electric vehicle platform (MEB platform).
		ID.5	2021	2021	Europe, Australasia and some others	MEB	Coupe crossover SUV version of the ID.4.
		ID.6	2021	2021	China	MEB	Three-row D-segment full-electric crossover SUV built above a dedicated electric vehicle platform (MEB platform).
		ID. UNYX	2024	2024	China	MEB	C-segment full-electric crossover SUV, rebadged Cupra Tavascan with minor cosmetic changes, only sold in China.
		T-Cross/ Tacqua/ Taigun/ Tharu XR	2019	2019	Global (except North America)	MQB A0	B-segment crossover SUV built above the MQB A0 platform. Global product but not sold in North America.
		T-Roc	2017	2017	Europe, China, Turkiye, Israel and others	MQB A1	C-segment crossover SUV. Mainly available in Europe and China, but also sold in Turkiye and Israel.
		Taos/Tharu	2018	2018	China and Americas	MQB A1	Compact crossover SUV (C-segment) built above the MQB A1 platform. Related to the Jetta VS5, SEAT Ateca and Škoda Karoq. Called the Tharu in China and Taos in the Americas.
		Tera	2025	2025	Latin America and India	MQB A0 IN	Subompact crossover SUV (B-segment) built above the MQB A0 IN
		Taigo/Nivus	2020	2020	Europe, Turkiye, Israel, South Africa and Latin America	MQB A0	Low-slung crossover SUV heavily based on the Polo Mk6. It is badged Taigo in Europe and Nivus in Brazil.
		Talagon	2021	2021	China	MQB Evo	Three-row full-size crossover SUV for the Chinese market above the Tavendor. Exclusively manufactured by FAW-Volkswagen.
		Tavendor	2022	2022	China	MQB Evo	Two-row full-size crossover SUV for the Chinese market below the Talagon. Exclusively manufactured by FAW-Volkswagen.
		Tayron	2018	2018	China	MQB A2	Sister model to the Tiguan. Exclusively manufactured by FAW-Volkswagen.
		Tayron	2018	2024	Global	MQB Evo	Mid-Size crossover SUV. Successor to the Tiguan Allspace.
		Tayron X	2020	2020	China	MQB A2	Coupe crossover SUV version of the Tayron.
		Tiguan	2008	2023	Global	MQB Evo	Compact crossover SUV (C-segment) built on the MQB A2 platform.
		Tiguan X	2020	2020	China	MQB A2	Coupe crossover SUV version of the Tiguan. Exclusively manufactured by SAIC-Volkswagen.
		Touareg	2002	2018	Global (except North America, Japan and India)	MLB Evo	First crossover SUV ever built by Volkswagen. A flagship luxury SUV model built above the MLB Evo platform.
MPV minivan		Caddy Life	2007	2020	Europe, Turkiye, Israel and others	MQB	Passenger version of the Caddy.
		Caravelle	1950	2024	Europe, Turkiye, Israel and others	Ford Pro	D-segment/Large MPV based on the Ford Transit Custom (since 2024), passenger variant of the Transporter.
		ID. Buzz	2022	2022	Europe, Turkiye, Israel, North America and others	MEB	Battery electric minivan built above the MEB platform.
		Multivan	1990	2021	Europe, Turkiye, Israel and others	MQB Evo	D-segment/Large MPV based on MQB Evo, previously based on Transporter.
		Touran	2003	2015	Europe, Turkiye, Israel and Japan	MQB	Three-row compact MPV. Currently being phased out in several markets.
		Viloran	2020	2020	China	MQB A2	Three-row full-size minivan with sliding doors for the Chinese market. Exclusively manufactured by SAIC-Volkswagen.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Body style				Current generation		Platform	Vehicle description
Body style	Image	Name(s)	Introduction (cal. year)	Introduction	Main markets	Platform	Vehicle description
Van		Caddy	1990	2020	Europe, etc.	MQB	Leisure activity vehicle or small van. Available as a windowed van (Caddy Life) or panel van.
		Caddy California	2020	2020	Europe, etc.	MQB	Campervan based on the Caddy.
		California	1989	2024	Europe, etc.	MQB Evo	Campervan based on the T7 Multivan.
		Grand California	2019	2019	Europe, etc.	MNB (Modular Light Commercial Vehicle platform)	Campervan based on the Crafter.
		Crafter	2006	2017	Europe, etc.	MNB (Modular Light Commercial Vehicle platform)	Large van. Also sold as the MAN TGE.
		ID. Buzz Cargo	2022	2022	Europe, etc.	MEB	Panel van version of ID. Buzz.
		Transporter	1949	2024	Europe, etc.	Ford Pro	Mid-size van. Available as a panel van.
Pickup truck		Amarok	2010	2010	Latin America	Unknown	Mid-size pickup truck. First and second generations are currently produced alongside each other for certain markets.
		Amarok	2010	2022	Europe, Australia and Africa	Ford T6
		Saveiro	1983	2023	Latin America	PQ24	Compact pickup truck based on the Gol.