We use cookies We use cookies to give you the best online experience. View policy Agree CHAT CALL CONTACT FRANCHISES All you need to know about Volkswagen Added: 12 July 2021 Today, Volkswagen is one of the most recognisable and respected names in the world. It wasn’t always that way. Volkswagen started as an experiment in solving a growing problem, namely the need for transport. It spent many years looking destined for failure before ultimately finding success. How big is Volkswagen? Currently, Volkswagen has around 610K employees. That makes it the biggest employer in the automotive industry. Those employees produce about 9.5 million cars each year. That’s about 13% of all the passenger cars in the world. Is Volkswagen German? Volkswagen was founded in Germany and is still headquartered there. Its associated brands are based all over Europe and the company as a whole is represented globally. Volkswagen is extremely active in Asia where it provides strong competition to local brands such as Toyota and Honda. What is Volkswagen’s net worth? In June 2021 Volkswagen had a market capitalization of US$153.29 Billion. That makes it the third-largest car-maker in the world (behind Tesla and Toyota). The value of inpidual Volkswagen brands is much more subjective and more subject to variance given consumer preferences. That said, if you check either the financial or motoring press for highest-valued car brands, you’ll generally find that Volkswagen brands rank very well. The main Volkswagen brand regularly makes it into the top ten. What’s more, it’s usually joined there by at least some of the Volkswagen subsidiary brands. What are the Volkswagen subsidiary brands? At present, Volkswagen has 11 main car models branded under their own name. These are: Compacts: VW Golf and VW Golf GTI Compact sedans: Jetta and Jetta GLI Sedans: Arteon and Passat SUVs: Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, ID.4, Taos and Tiguan The company also owns the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand. The logo for this is almost identical to the main company logo. It is, however, registered as a separate brand. This sector of Volkswagen is very much focused on producing sustainable cargo vehicles. Its main market is the logistics industry. The wider Volkswagen group currently includes ten major automotive brands. Of these, eight are passenger brands and two are commercial vehicle brands. Passenger cars Audi Audi has always been about technological innovation (“Vorsprung durch Technik”). The company frequently partnered with Volkwagen which shared its commitment to pushing the boundaries of car-making. Eventually, the partnership became permanent. Bentley Bentley has spent its history developing the perfect balance of elegance and power. Cars made by Bentley feel like limousines. They can, however, deal with children and pets on the inside and tough driving conditions on the outside. While the Bentley brand always honours its history, it regularly updates its car range to suit new tastes. Bugatti The Bugatti name has always been linked with racing. Off the track, the Bugatti brand is the brand of choice for people who want the best performance a road car can deliver. It's also popular with people who simply want to drive a car that is truly beautiful inside and out. Lamborghini Lamborghini is a brand that is totally serious under the bonnet and stylishly sporty everywhere else. It’s little wonder that Lamborghini is known as the company which makes “dream cars”. They may be the classic example of how advanced technology can seem just like pure magic. Porsche Porsche is the car-maker which makes luxury, sports cars everyone can not just love, but live with. All Porsche models have a sporty vibe but many have nods to other styles like sedans and saloons. This makes Porsche a popular choice for people who want a family-friendly car that can still be fun for grown-ups. Seat Seat has both its self-named brand and the Cupra brand. The Seat brand has years of proud tradition behind it. Part of that tradition, however, is continual reinvention in every possible way. The Cupra brand is a modern addition to the Seat family. It focuses on modernity and has produced some of the top-performing electric vehicles available on the market today. Skoda Skoda has a long history and a lot to be proud of. By the start of the 1990s, however, the brand looked to be in terminal decline. Its partnership with Volkswagen was a last-gasp attempt to revive its fortunes. It succeeded brilliantly and since then Skoda has become respected for its ability to deliver excellent value for money across its whole range. Motorcycles Ducati Ducati isn’t just a motorcycle brand. It’s a motorcycling legend with an unparalleled record in motorcycle racing. The Ducati brand is chosen by people who want history, performance and beauty on two wheels. Commercial vehicles MAN Historically, MAN has been most recognized for its trucks. These are still widely regarded as being some of the best around. They’re especially popular for their fuel efficiency. Over recent years, however, Man has come to be recognized for its range of electric buses. These are used both for standard passenger operations and for specialist applications like mobile COVID19 testing. Scania Scania is still very much focused on trucks. In particular, it’s focussed on the race to develop electric trucks using fuel-cell technology. This could make it possible to use electric-powered vehicles for long-distance freight. Design partner - Italdesign Last but definitely not least, Volkswagen also owns Italdesign. The Italian design and technology company has played a key role in making Volkswagen-owned cars more desirable. Part of this has involved enhancing their technological capabilities. A brief history of Volkswagen Technically, Volkswagen’s history dates back to the 1930s. In practice, it spent most of the 1930s and 1940s lurching from one problem to another. In the 1950s, however, Volkswagen finally hit its stride. Crucially, it began to gain acceptance in overseas markets, particularly the valuable U.S. market. An icon of the 1960s By the end of the 1950s, Volkswagen was internationally respected for its quality and value for money. Over the course of the 1960s, Volkswagen built on this foundation with astute marketing. This hit the perfect balance of sophistication and wit to appeal to the youth of the 1960s. Making the situation even better for Volkswagen was the fact that, by the 1960s, owning a car was both desirable and practical. Cars were a way to escape to pastures new in comfort and privacy. They were also a way to do everyday tasks more quickly and conveniently. Volkswagen positioned itself as a great car to have for both fun and function. A new beginning in the 1970s The problem with being associated with an era is that you need to work out what to do when it ends. By the 1960s, the Volkswagen brand was still popular as a brand. Its cars, however, were looking increasingly dated. Furthermore, the youth of the Swinging Sixties had moved on and made way for a new generation of young adults. After a few false starts, Volkswagen regained its crown with the introduction of four models which are still loved today. These were the Passat, the Scirocco, the Golf, and the Polo. Volkswagen’s partnership with Audi was vital to the creation of these new cars. In particular, the Passat relied heavily on Audi technology and the Polo was essentially a rebadged Audi 50. Although each of these cars had its own format and characteristics, they all had a similar look and feel. As such, they helped to give Volkswagen a clear personality. They also shared many parts, including their engines. This helped to streamline production and hence to keep costs down. Changing fortunes in the 1980s Volkswagen continued to produce new models throughout the 1980s. That said, the Golf and the Polo were very clearly the stars of its show. They were hugely popular in Europe and most of the rest of the world. The notable exception, however, was in the U.S. and Canada. Volkswagen continued to sell there but just could not regain the popularity it had once enjoyed. In hindsight, this may have been a blessing in disguise. It forced Volkswagen to expand more strongly into other territories. As such, it arguably helped to lay the ground for Volkswagen to become a truly global force. Skoda joined the family in the 1990s The 1990s was the decade when Volkswagen reinvented Skoda to the benefit of both. Perhaps remembering the lessons of the 1960s, Volkswagen backed up technological innovation with superb advertising. In particular, it targeted younger people who were less likely to have preconceived ideas about Skoda. The start of the 21st century saw expansion on all fronts The new century saw a lot of changes at Volkswagen. Not only did the company introduce a wide range of new car models, but they also made significant investments in their operations. In particular, they began to try to regain ground in the North American market. This time, their strategy was to use local production and to adapt models specifically for North American tastes. Present-day Volkswagen The year 2017 saw what was arguably the most recent change of direction at Volkswagen. It switched its focus to electric vehicles. As part of this change, it announced a return to motor racing. This return happened in 2018 and came in grand style. The all-electric I.D. R. completed the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in just 7:57.148 minutes. It therefore comfortably beat the previous course record of 8:13.878 minutes. If you’re interested in getting a Volkswagen for yourself, then be sure to get in touch with us here at Heritage Volkswagen. We have a network of dealerships across the South West, where you’ll be able to test drive your perfect the vehicle to see if you like it. We look forward to seeing you. 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