Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. It forms the core of Volkswagen Group and is the world's fourth largest car producer after Toyota, GM and Ford, respectively.

The name means "people's car" in German, in which it is pronounced [ˈfolksvagen].
Its German tagline is "Aus Liebe zum Automobil", which is translated as
"For the love of the car" - or, "For Love of the People's Cars", as
translated by VW in other languages, though in direct translation it
reads "Out of love for the car."

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History

For timeline table: Volkswagen (timeline)

1948–1974: Icon For German Regeneration

From 1948, Volkswagen became a very important element, symbolically and economically, of West German regeneration. Heinrich Nordhoff (1899–1968), a former senior manager at Opel
who had overseen civilian and military vehicle production in the 1930s
and 1940s, was recruited to run the factory in 1948. In 1949 Hirst left
the company, now re-formed as a trust controlled by the West German
government. Apart from the introduction of the Type 2 commercial vehicle (van, pickup and camper) and the Karmann Ghia sports car, Nordhoff pursued the one-model policy until shortly before his death in 1968.

Volkswagens were first exhibited and sold in the United States
in 1949. It only sold two units in America that first year. On its
entry to the U.S. market, the VW was briefly sold as a "Victory Wagon".
Volkswagen of America was formed in April 1955 to standardize sales and service in the U.S. Production of the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle increased dramatically over the years, the total reaching one million in 1955.

Sales soared — due in part to the famous advertising campaigns by New York advertising agency, Doyle, Dane and Bernbach.
Led by art director Helmut Krone and copywriters Julian Koenig and Bob
Levinson, Volkswagen ads became as popular as the car, using crisp
layouts and witty copy to lure the younger, sophisticated consumers
with whom the car became associated. Despite the fact it was almost
universally known as the Beetle, it was never officially labeled as
such, instead referred to as the Type 1. The first reference to the
name Beetle occurred in U.S. advertising in 1968, but not until 1998
and the Golf-based New Beetle would the name be adopted by Wolfsburg.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, although the car was becoming outdated, American exports, innovative advertising and a growing reputation for reliability helped production figures to surpass the levels of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. By 1973, total production was over 16 million.

VW expanded their product line in 1961 with the introduction of several Type 3
models, which were essentially body style variations (Fastback,
Notchback, Squareback) based on Type 1 mechanical underpinnings, and
again in 1969 with the relatively unpopular Type 4 (also known as the 411 and 412) models, which differed substantially from previous models with the notable introduction of unibody construction, a fully automatic transmission, electronic fuel injection,
and a sturdier powerplant. Volkswagen added a "Super Beetle" (the Type
113) to its lineup in 1971. The Type 113 differed from the standard
Beetle in its use of a McPherson strut front suspension instead of the
usual torsion bars. Also the nose of the car was stretched 2 inches to
allow the spare tire to lay down flat, and the combination of these two
features significantly increased the usable trunk space. Despite the
Super Beetle's popularity with Volkswagen customers, purists preferred
the standard Beetle with its less pronounced nose and its original
torsion bar suspension. In 1973, Volkswagen introduced the
military-themed Thing
(Type 181) in America, recalling the wartime Type 81. The military
version was produced for the NATO-era German army (Bundeswehr) during
the cold war years of 1970 to 1979. The US Thing version only lasted
two years, 1973 and 1974, due at least in part to Ralph Nader's automobile safety campaigns.

1974: From Beetle to Golf/Rabbit

Volkswagen was in serious trouble by the end of the 1960s. The Type 3 and Type 4 models had been comparative flops, and the NSU-based
K70 also failed to woo buyers. The company knew that Beetle production
had to end one day, but the conundrum of replacing it had been a
never-ending nightmare. The key to the solution was the 1964
acquisition of Audi/Auto Union. The Ingolstadt-based firm had the necessary expertise in front wheel drive and water-cooled
engines that Volkswagen so desperately needed to produce a credible
Beetle successor. Audi influences paved the way for this new generation
of Volkswagens, known as the Polo, Golf and Passat.

The VW Polo was in fact simply a re-badging of the short-lived Audi 50,
which had been hastily developed from a saloon design, the Audi 60,
which never reached production as an Audi vehicle. However, VW produced
it shortly after the introduction of the Polo as the VW Derby. In the
rear of the car can plainly be seen that panels are added to the Polo
structure to make a "three-box" design of saloon or sedan with a boot
or trunk.

The Passat (Dasher
in the U.S.), introduced in 1973, was again simply a fastback
(available as either a hatchback or with separate boot) version of the Audi 80, using identical body and mechanical parts, and the Audi 80 was later produced on the same line in Wolfsburg as the VW Passat.
Wagon versions were offered for overseas markets, however, for two
years, if European customers wanted an estate or wagon version, they
had to go considerably up-market and buy the Audi 80GL estate.

Production of the Beetle at the Wolfsburg factory switched to the VW Golf in 1974, marketed in the United States and Canada as the Volkswagen Rabbit
until 1985 and as the Golf until 2006, when the Rabbit name was
re-introduced. This was a car unlike its predecessor in most
significant ways, both mechanically as well as visually (its angular
styling was designed by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro). Its design followed trends for small family cars set by the 1959 Mini and 1972 Renault 5—the Golf had a transversely mounted, water-cooled engine in the front, driving the front wheels, and had a hatchback,
a format that has dominated the market segment ever since. Beetle
production continued in smaller numbers at other German factories
(Essen and Emden) until 1978, but mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico.

Volkswagen from 1974 to 1990

While Volkswagen's range of cars soon became similar to that of
other large European automakers, the Golf has been the mainstay of the
Volkswagen lineup since its introduction, and the mechanical basis for
several other cars of the company. There have been five generations of
the Volkswagen Golf, the first of which was produced from the summer of
1974 until the end of 1983, sold as the Rabbit in the United States and
Canada and as the Caribe in Latin America. Its chassis also spawned the
Scirocco sport coupe, Jetta sedan, Cabriolet convertible, and Caddy
pickup. North American production of the Rabbit commenced at a factory
in Pennsylvania in 1978. The production numbers of the first-generation
Golf has continued to grow annually in South Africa
with only slight modifications to the interior, engine and chassis. It
would be produced in the United States as the Rabbit until the spring
of 1984. The second-generation Golf hatchback/Jetta sedan ran from late
1983 to late 1991, and a North American version produced in Pennsylvania went on sale at the start of the 1985 model year.

In the eighties, Volkswagen's sales in the United States and Canada
fell dramatically, despite the success of models like the Golf
elsewhere. The problems had stemmed from the Rabbit, which had
developed a reputation for bad electrical systems and oil burning. The
Japanese and the Americans were able to compete with similar products
at lower prices. Sales in the United States were 293,595 in 1980, but
by 1984 they were down to 177,709.[2] The introduction of the second-generation Golf, GTI and Jetta models helped Volkswagen briefly in North America. Motor Trend
named the GTI its Car of the Year for 1985, and Volkswagen rose in the
J.D. Power buyer satisfaction ratings to eighth place in 1985, up from
22nd a year earlier.[3] VW's American sales broke 200,000 in 1985 and 1986 before resuming the downward trend from earlier in the decade. Chairman Carl Hahn decided to expand the company elsewhere, and the Pennsylvania factory closed on July 14, 1988. Meanwhile, Hahn expanded the company by purchasing a greater share of the Spanish car maker SEAT, which VW bought outright in 1990; the Czech car maker Skoda was acquired the following year.

Volkswagen From 1991 to 2000

In 1991, Volkswagen launched the third-generation Golf, garnering
the European Car of the Year for 1992 (the previous two generations
were nominated but lost to the Citroën CX in 1975 and the Fiat Uno
in 1984). (The Mark 3 Golf and Jetta arrived in North America just
before the start of 1994 model year, first appearing in southern
California in the late spring of 1993.) The sedan version of the Golf
was badged Vento in Europe (but remained Jetta in the USA, where its popularity outstripped the Golf).

The late 1990s saw a gradual change in perception of the company's
products - with Audi having elevated itself into same league as BMW and Mercedes-Benz,
Volkswagen moved upmarket to fill the void left by Audi; with Seat and
Skoda now occupying what was once VW's core market. The first tangible
evidence of this was the fifth-generation Passat in 1996
with its high-quality interior trim and standards of build quality
which were demonstrably a cut above contemporary products from Ford and
Opel.

This move upmarket was continued with the Mark 4 Golf, introduced at the end of 1997 (and in North America in 1999), its chassis spawned a host of other cars within the Volkswagen group—the Volkswagen Bora (the sedan, still called Jetta in the USA), VW New Beetle, SEAT Toledo, SEAT León, Audi A3, Audi TT and Skoda Octavia. However, it was beaten into third place for the 1998 European Car of the Year award by the winning Alfa Romeo 156 and runner-up Audi A6.

The other main models have been the Polo, a smaller car than the Golf, and the larger Passat for the segment above the Golf. The Scirocco and Corrado were both Golf-based coupés.

By the early nineties, Volkswagen's sales in the United States were
below 100,000, and many car buyers found the company's products to be
lacking in value. Some automotive journalists believed that Volkswagen
would have to quit the North American market altogether. VW eventually
realized that the Beetle was the heart and soul of the brand in North
America, and the firm quickly set about creating a new Beetle for
American and Canadian showrooms.

In 1994, Volkswagen unveiled the J Mays-designed Concept One,
a "retro"-themed car with a resemblance to the original Beetle but
based on the Polo chassis. Its genesis was secret and in opposition to
VW management, who felt it was too backward-looking. Management could
not deny the positive public response to the concept car and gave the
green-light to its development as the New Beetle.
The production car would be based on the Golf rather than the Polo,
because the Polo chassis was too small for the car to pass crash test
standards in the U.S. It has been quite popular in the North America,
less so in Europe.

Volkswagen's fortunes in North America improved once the
third-generation Golf and Jetta models became available there. Sharp
advertising and savvy promotional stunts, like including Trek
bicycles and accompanying bike racks with a limited ediiton of the 1996
Jetta sedan, were credited for the firm's recovery in the U.S. and
Canada, but the introductions of the New Beetle and the
fifth-generation Passat were a major boost to the brand.

Volkswagen in the Twenty-First Century

Volkswagen began introducing an array of new models after Bernd Pischetsrieder
became Volkswagen Group CEO (responsible for all Group brands) in 2002.
The fifth generation Volkswagen Golf was launched in 2004, came
runner-up to the Fiat Panda in the 2004 European Car of the Year, and has spawned several cousins: SEAT Toledo, Skoda Octavia and Audi A3 hatchback ranges as well as a new mini-MPV,
the Seat Altea. The GTI, a "hot hatchback" performance version of the
Golf, boasts a 2.0 L Turbocharged direct injection engine. VW began
marketing the Golf under the Rabbit name once again in the U.S. and
Canada in June 2006. (The GTI had arrived to North America four months
earlier.) The fifth-generation Jetta, and the performance version, the
GLI, are also available in the United States and Canada. The
sixth-generation Passat and the fifth-generation Jetta both debuted in
2005, and VW has announced plans to expand its lineup further by
bringing back the Scirocco
by 2008. Other models in Wolfgang Bernhard's (Volkswagen brand CEO)
"product offensive" include the Tiguan mid-sized SUV in 2008 and a
Passat Coupé. In November 2006 Bernd Pischetsrieder announced his
resignation as Volkswagen Group CEO and was replaced by Audi worldwide
CEO Martin Winterkorn at the beginning of 2007.
Winterkorn is credited with making Audi a challenger to the dominance
of BMW and Mercedes and his design-led strategy has led to Audi being
considered one of the most important brands in the world. It remains to
be seen how Winterkorn's focus on design shapes the Volkswagen brand's
future. Nevertheless, Volkswagen continues to have complicated
relations with both unions and shareholders. The German state of Lower Saxony owns significant stock in VW, as does sportscar manufacturer Porsche.

In North America, VW faced many of challenges. After rising
significantly between 1998 and 2001, VW's North American sales began to
fall sharply leading to a 2005 loss of roughly $1 billion (U.S.) for
its operations in the U.S. and Canada. Profitablility has not been
strong, and the reliability of the company's South American and Latin
American-produced cars appears to bear some of the responsibility for
this situation. By 2005, its models sat near the bottom of Consumer Reports
reliability ratings, and J.D. Power and Associates ranked VW 35th out
of 37 bands in its initial quality survey. Attempts to enter a new
market segment also compromised Volkswagen's standing in North America.
In 2002, Volkswagen announced the debut of its Phaeton
luxury car, which was critically acclaimed but not well received in the
marketplace. VW announced its discontinuance in the U.S. market for the
2007 model year due to the disappointing sales.

Volkswagen in 2005, despite challenges, still maintained North
American sales of 224,195 -- a dramatic increase from the low in 1993
when US sales totaled only 49,533 vehicles. Momentum continued for
fiscal 2006, as VW's North American sales for the year were 235,140
vehicles, a 4.9 percent increase over 2005, despite a slump in domestic
North American manufacturer's sales. VW plans to close out the decade
with the release on several new vehicles worldwide and a barrage of
advertising. In conjunction with the introduction of new models,
production location of Volkswagen vehicles also underwent great change.
The 2007 Eos,
a hardtop convertible, is produced in a new facility in Portugal. All
Golf/Rabbit and GTIs as of 2006 are manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany
rather than VW's Mexican factory in Puebla, where Golfs and GTIs for
the North American market were produced from 1989 to 1998, and the
Brazilian factory in Curitiba
where Golfs and GTIs were produced from 1999 to 2006 (The Jetta has
principally been made in Mexico since 1989). VW is also in the process
of reconfiguring an automotive assembly plant in Belgium. The new
models and investments in manufacturing improvements were noticed
immediately by automotive critics. Favorable reviews for VW's newest
cars include the GTI being named by Consumer Reports as the top
sporty car under $25,000, one of Car and Driver magazines "10 Best" for
2007, and Automobile Magazine's 2007 Car of the Year. J.D. Power and
Associates 2006 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL)
Study scored Volkswagen fourteenth overall with strong performances by
its new Jetta and Passat models.

Volkswagen is recognized as one of the leading small diesel engine
manufacturers, and is partnering with Mercedes and other companies to
market BlueTec
clean diesel technology. Volkswagen has offered a number of its
vehicles with a TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) engine, which lends
class-leading fuel economy to several models. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
four of the ten most fuel efficient vehicles available for sale in the
U.S. in 2004 were powered by Volkswagen diesel engines. They were a
three-way tie for 8th (TDI Beetle, TDI Golf, TDI Jetta) and ninth, the
TDI Jetta Wagon. As of 2007, VW has not yet offered a gas-electric
hybrid powertrain such as that in the Toyota Prius
(though a diesel-electric hybrid 5th generation Jetta was produced as a
test vehicle). In addition, all VAG TDI diesel engines produced since
1996 can be driven on 100% biodiesel
fuel. For the 2007 model year, however, strict U.S. government
emissions regulations have forced VW to drop most diesels from their
U.S. engine lineup, but a new lineup of diesel engines compatible to
U.S. standards are due for 2008.

Volkswagen long resisted adding an utility vehicle to its lineup, but it finally relented with the introduction of the Touareg
in the early 2000s, sharing major components with the Porsche Cayenne
sport utility vehicle. Though acclaimed as a fine handling vehicle, the
Touareg has been a modest seller at best. Some automotive analysts
blame the Touraeg's absence of a third-row seat, the relatively poor
fuel economy, and the high vehicle mass. VW plans to add a compact SUV
with styling influences from its "Concept A" concept vehicle. On July
20, 2006, VW announced that the new vehicle would be called the Tiguan.
One major irony of Volkswagen's current North American lineup is the
absence of a minivan, considering that VW is credited for inventing the
minivan with its original Transporter, but the firm is currently
developing just such a vehicle for the U.S. and Canadian markets with DaimlerChrysler,
with current plans to introduce it in 2008. Volkswagen is also
considering a new entry-level model for the North American lineup. A
venture with DaimlerChrysler to produce such a vehicle was considered
but dropped as of September 2006. Due to technical difficulty adapting
the Polo
to meet North American vehicle regulations, VW presented in 2006 the
"Iroc" as a concept of the proposed 2009 Scirocco as a potential new
small model.

In September 2006, Volkswagen began offering the City Golf and City Jetta only for the Canadian market. Both models are basically the Mk.IV Golf and Jetta, making them smaller than the current Rabbit and Jetta and competing directly to the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit.
Volkswagen's introduction of such models is seen as a test of the
market for a subcompact and, if successful, may be the beginnings of a
thriving subcompact market for Volkswagen.

When Martin Winterkorn
became the eighth postwar CEO of Volkswagen, the company made several
personnel changes in Wolfsburg. Other key personnel changes were made
at Volkswagen of America in Auburn Hills, Michigan, as VW tries to continue increasing U.S. sales while trying to return the American operations to profitability.

Relationship with Porsche, and the "Volkswagen Law"

The company has always had a close relationship with Porsche, with the first Porsche car the Porsche 64 of 1938, using many components from the Volkswagen Beetle.

The two companies collaborated in 1969 to make the VW-Porsche 914 and 914-6 whereby the 914-6 had a 6-cylinder Porsche engine and the standard 914 had a 4-cylinder Volkswagen engine, in 1976 with the Porsche 912E (USA only) and the Porsche 924, which used many Audi components and was built at an Audi Neckarsulm factory. Most 944s also were built there although they used far fewer VW components.

The Porsche Cayenne, introduced in 2002, shares its entire chassis with VW Touareg, which is built at the Volkswagen factory in Bratislava. In late 2005,
Porsche took an 18.65% stake in VW, further cementing their
relationship and preventing a takeover of Volkswagen, which was rumored
at the time. Speculated suitors included DaimlerChrysler, BMW, and Renault.

On March 26, 2007
Porsche took its holding of Volkswagen shares to 30.9%, triggering a
takeover bid under German law. Porsche formally announced in a press
statement that it did not intend to takeover Volkswagen (it would set
its offer price at the lowest possible legal value), but intended the
move to avoid a competitor taking a large stake or to stop hedge funds
dismantling VW, which is Porsche's most important partner[4]. Porsche's move comes after the European Union
moved against a German law that protected VW from takeovers. Under the
so-called "Volkswagen Law", any shareholder in VW cannot exercise more
than 20% of the firm's voting rights, regardless of their level of
stock holding. The European Court of Justice has already indicated that the law probably breaks EU rules, and a full judgement to that effect is expected later in 2007[5].

Current Volkswagen Models

Europe

• Caddy
• California
• Caravelle
• Crafter
• Eos
• Fox
• Golf V
• Golf Plus
• Golf Variant
• Jetta
• Polo
• Multivan
• Passat
• Passat Variant
• Phaeton
• Sharan
• Touran
• Touareg
• Transporter

North America

Model
MSRP (Cost in USD)


Rabbit (Official site)
$14,990


GTI (Official site)
$21,990


Jetta (Official site)
$16,990


New Beetle (Official site)/

New Beetle Convertible (Official site)
$17,180/$22,120


Passat (Official site)/

Passat Wagon (Official site)
$22,950/$25,225


Touareg (Official site)
$37,410


Eos (Official site)
$28,480/$35,265

Asia-Pacific

• Gol
• Polo
• Golf/Golf Plus/Golf Variant
• Jetta
• Bora
• Bora HS
• Sagitar
• New Beetle/New Beetle Cabriolet
• Passat Lingyu
• Santana
• Santana 3000
• Passat/Passat Variant
• Magotan
• Touran
• Sharan
• Touareg
• Phaeton
• Caddy
• Transporter
• Multivan
• Crafter

South America

• Fox/CrossFox/Suran (SpaceFox)
• Gol/Parati/Saveiro (Pointer)
• Polo
• Derby
• Golf
• Jetta
• Vento
• Bora
• New Beetle/New Beetle Cabriolet
• Passat/Passat Variant
• Touran
• Sharan
• Touareg
• Phaeton
• Caddy
• Transporter
• Delivery
• Worker
• Constellation
• Volksbus

South Africa

• CitiGolf
• Polo
• Golf/Golf Variant/Golf Plus
• Jetta
• New Beetle/New Beetle Cabriolet
• Passat/Passat Variant
• Touran
• Sharan
• Touareg
• Caddy
• Transporter
• Multivan
• Crafter

Cult Status Of The Beetle

Like its competitors, the Mini and the Citroën 2CV,
the original-shape Beetle long outlasted predictions of its lifespan.
It maintains a very strong following worldwide, being regarded as
something of a "cult" car owing to its 1960s association with the hippie
movement. Currently, there is a wide array of clubs that are concerned
with the Beetle. The fans are quite diverse. Looks include the
resto-look, Cal Look, German-look, resto-Cal Look, buggies, Baja bugs, old school, Disney's Herbie the Love Bug replicas, ratlook, etc. Part of their cult status is attributed to being one of a few cars with an air-cooled,
horizontally-opposed engine design and the consequent ease of repair
and modification as opposed to the more conventional and technically
complex watercooled engine design. The original design flat-four boxer
design had less than 200 moving parts.

In the late 1990s, a group of Volkswagen enthusiasts formed Volkswagenism,
a satirical religion based off of owners devoted loyalty to the Beetle,
and the company. Under the leadership of founder Jason Gaudet, this
"religion" has gained notoriety through radio, television and print
coverage from around the world...turning ordinary fans of the car into Volkswagenists.

By 2002, over 21 million Type 1s had been produced.

On July 30, 2003, the last Type 1 rolled off the production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. It was car number 21,529,464, and was immediately shipped off to the company's museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. In true Mexican fashion, a mariachi band serenaded the last car in the 68-year-old history. The last car was nicknamed El Rey, which is Spanish for "The King". The last 3000 type 1s were called the "Ultima Edición" or the last edition.

In the United States, most notably in California,
Volkswagen enthusiasts frequent large Volkswagen-themed car shows,
especially in the summer months. Many of these shows feature camping, a
car show called a "show 'n' shine", drag racing,
parts swap meet, raffles, burnout contests, and other events. Die-hard
and loyal "VW-heads" attend these shows regularly, often traveling 500
miles or more (even abroad) to attend their favorite event. To dispell
any idea the little flat-4 is incapable of power, see this video clip.
There is also a large cult following on the east side, with shows
including, Dubs on the Lake, Show N Go, Waterfest, and H2O
international. Volkswagen enthusiasts may even meet once a week or
bimonthly, such as groups like Schnell Motorsports, at
www.schnellms.net, or SacWater at www.sacwater.com

In the winter, a group of drivers of the "split window" bus model
(1951-1967 Microbuses, trucks, campers, and panel vans) drive from Willits, CA, to Mt. Shasta
CA, largely on unpaved back roads. This event is called the "Mt. Shasta
Snow Trip Challenge" and is a good example of VW enthusiasts' trust in
the durability of their 40-plus-year-old cars.

Relationships and Investments

Porsche

The company has had a close relationship with Porsche, the Zuffenhausen-based sports car manufacturer founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the original Volkswagen designer. The first Porsche cars, the 1948 Porsche 356, used many Volkswagen components including a tuned engine, gearbox and suspension. Later collaborations include the 1969/1970 VW-Porsche 914, the 1976 Porsche 924 (which used many Audi components and was built at an Audi factory), and the 2002 Porsche Cayenne (which shares engineering with the VW Touareg).

In September 2005,
Porsche announced it was buying a 20% stake in Volkswagen at a cost of
€3 billion, with the intention that the combined stakes of Porsche,
Volkswagen and the government of Lower Saxony ensure that any hostile takeover by foreign investors would be impossible [1]. In July Porsche increased their ownership to 25.1% and in March 2007 to 30.9%.

Heavy Trucks

• The Wallenberg family began divesting its interests in various Swedish companies, but as a result of Volvo's aborted takeover of Scania AB,
  it agreed to hold a "significant share holding" in only one of Sweden's
  heavy truck manufacturers. This resulted in Volkswagen securing an 18%
  capital stake and 34% voting stake in Scania [6]

• Volkswagen has a 29.9% stake in German truck manufacturer MAN AG, whom recently in 2006
  launched a takeover bid for the Swedish truck maker Scania, in which VW
  holds 20.3% of company and 35.31% of the voting stock. VW has announced
  that it would like to see MAN and Scania merge together along with VW's Truck & Bus
  operations and form a new company in which VW has a blocking minority
  stake. A merged MAN-Scania would become the largest European Truck
  maker, leapfrogging both Volvo AB and DaimlerChrysler AG. However,
  DaimlerChrysler will still be the largest truck maker, as it has
  operations in the US where MAN and Scania do not.

Motorsport

• In 1966 Volkswagen left the racing starting grid when Formula Vee — circuit racing with cars built from easily available VW Beetle parts — took off in Europe. It proved very popular as a low-cost route into formula racing.[2]
• In 1971 Volkswagen moved on to the more powerful Formula Super V,
  which became famous for hothousing new talent. In the 11 years it ran,
  until 1982, it produced a stable of world-famous Formula One drivers — names like Niki Lauda, Jochen Mass, Nelson Piquet, Jochen Rindt and Keke Rosberg. Volkswagen also notched up several victories and the championship in Formula 3.
• In 1976 Volkswagen enter the under 2000cc Trans Am class with the Scirocco and they won their class outright.Scirocco Trans Am Article/Advert
• In 1981, now based in Hanover and renamed Volkswagen Motorsport, VW
  took a new direction into rallying with the launch of the first
  generation Golf, and Sweden's Per Eklund, Frenchman Jean-Luc Therier and the Finn Pentti Airikkala.
  The final chapters in Volkswagen Racing UK's rallying story were the
  'one-make' Castrol Polo Challenge, and the Polo GTI 'Super 1600' in
  2001.
• In 2000 Volkswagen started a one make racing cup with the newly released to Europe New Beetle called the ADAC New Beetle Cup. Beside that the ADAC Volkswagen Lupo Cup, founded in 1998, is continued to support young talents on the way to the top.
• In 2001 the department was renamed Volkswagen Racing and since then
  has concentrated all its efforts on developing its circuit racing
  championship, the Volkswagen Racing Cup.
• In 2003 VW replace the ADAC Volkswagen Lupo Cup with the newly released Polo to become the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup.
• In 2004 VW Commercial vehicles
  enter the European Truck racing series with the Titan series truck it
  became Back to Back champion for the 2004 and 2005 series.

The Dakar

• In 1980 Volkswagen competed in the Paris-Dakar Rally with the Audi-developed Iltis, placing 1st, 2nd, 4th and 9th overall.
• Volkswagen enlists Dakar Champion Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first female to win the Dakar in 2001, to help design and compete a Dakar Racer.
• In 2003 the Hannover based team starts with a 2WD buggy named
  Tarek. It places 6th outright but took 1st in the 2WD and Diesel class.
• In 2004 VW enters the newly developed Race-Touareg T2, finishing 6th overall and 2nd in the Diesel class.
• In 2005 a updated Race-Touareg with slightly more power is entered with driver Bruno Saby, finishing in 3rd overall and 1st in the Diesel class.
• In 2006 Volkswagen released the most powerful Race-Touareg yet: the Race Touareg 2. Five vehicles enter, with driver Giniel de Villers finishing in 2nd place overall and 1st in the Diesel class.

Volkswagen Motorsport: Around the World

Below are Official or Dealership sponsored Volkswagen Racing activities outside Germany.

• China rally participation: Shanghai-VW Santana, Shanghai-VW Polo, FAW-VW Jetta and Shanghai-VW supported the 1st Shanghai F1 Grand Prix with a Polo Cup support series.
• South Africa rally participation: Polo, SEAT Ibiza based Polo Playa, CitiGolf & Golf. Circuit participation: SEAT Ibiza based Polo Derby/Classic, A3 engined series which supports the A1 Racing series & the GTI engined F3 style racing series.
• France:
  A French Volkswagen team entered the 2000 and 2001 Le Mans series with
  there 2.0 Turbo racer which produced around 356 kW/485 hp.
• Brazil rally participation: Gol and Voyage & Heavy Trucks. Circuit participation: Brasilia, Karmann Ghia, Gol, Voyage and the Hillman Avenger based 1500 series.
• Peru: VW Peru Rally the Fox in the S1600 class.
• Japan circuit participation: Golf, Lupo and Polo Cup's.
• Poland circuit participation: Golf with TDI Cup.
• United Kingdom circuit participation: Lupo, Polo,Golf, Jetta (Vento/Bora),Scirocco,Corrado,Beetle, Type 3 & Caddy.
  Rally entries: Beetle, Type 3, Polo & Golf. VW Racing UK now have
  there own cup they also have had Rallyed a Polo 1600 class and Golf TDI.
• Australia:
  VW has a very close relationship with Motorsport it was the REDeX and
  Mobil Trials of the 1950s that propelled VW to be a sales success in
  Australia. In 1999 and 2000 VW won the F2 Australian Rally Championship
  with the Golf GTI. In 2001 and 2002 VW raced the New Beetle RSI in the
  GT Performance series, it was close to the top of the board both
  seasons. In 2003 VW Aust. was the first to race and develop the R32
  Golf in the 2004 GT Performance series and came 2nd overall.
• Finland: In 2002 VW won the Finnish Rally Championship in a7/(F2) with a Golf IV KitCar with Mikko Hirvonen.
  In 1999 and 2000 VW won the Finnish Rally Championship in a7/(F2) with
  a Golf III KitCar. In 2000,2001 and 2002 VW won the Finnish Circuit
  Racing Championship in Sport 2000 with a Golf IV DTC.

Motorsport Gallery

Corporate structure

Main article: Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen is part of the Volkswagen group, along with:

• Audi — the one remaining brand from the former Auto Union group —bought from Daimler-Benz in 1964.
• NSU — bought in 1969 by Volkswagen and merged into the Audi division, a brand not used since 1977
• SEAT — majority owned since 1987
• Å koda — bought in 1991
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles — started operations in 1995, VWCV is in charge of all Commercial Vehicle developments within the group.
• Bentley — bought in 1998 from Vickers along with Rolls-Royce -cannot produce cars using the Rolls-Royce marque because the trademarks went to BMW
• Bugatti — name bought in 1998
• Lamborghini — bought on June 12, 1998

From July 1998 until December 2002, Volkswagen's Bentley division
also sold cars under the Rolls-Royce name under an agreement with BMW,
which had bought the rights to that name. From 2003, only BMW may make
cars called Rolls-Royce.

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