Volkswagen

Volkswagen (VW) is the core brand of the Mitteleuropäische Motorenwerke Berlin AG (MMB, Mitteleuropean Motor Works Berlin), the largest automotive conglomerate in the world. Like its parent company, VW is headquartered in the Teltow-Schönefeld borough of the Free State of Berlin, in what was previously the city of Südstadt. The origin of the brand name was the project demanded by Gregor Strasser in 1934 to build a Volksauto (people's car), which for the first time would enable the broad population to afford an automobile and thus initiate mass motorization in Germany. Until then, automobiles were predominantly found in the upper class due to their high price. Founded in 1938 by the Alldeutschen Volkswerke (AV, All-German People's Works) under the völkisch government and transformed into the global brand it is today in 1946 by the Kaiserdiktatur, it is especially famous for the model later known as the VW Beetle which became the best-selling car in the world.
In the postwar period, the Volkswagen GmbH was founded in 1946, solidifying the Volkswagen brand name. In 2024, around 50 models are produced worldwide under the Volkswagen brand. The Reich as well as the Berlin are major shareholders of MMB and thus of VW.