Volkswagen
The world’s fourth largest automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen – otherwise known as VW – is based in Wolfsburg, Germany and is the largest car producer in Europe. As part of the Volkswagen Group, which consists of nine other brands, Volkswagen is the original and biggest-selling brand.
The Nazi, German Labour Front originally founded VW in 1937 in an effort to build cars that were affordable for the average German citizen. Volkswagen is German for “People’s Car” and is the foundation of the philosophy behind all of VW’s products. 1945 saw the company come under new administration after the defeat of the Nazis. With this new administration at the helm came a new successful era for the purest embodiment of the “Peoples Car” ideal, the Volkswagen Type 1. More commonly known as the Volkswagen Beetle, the Type 1 was the first VW and one of the longest running products offered by the company.
Another pivotal product by Volkswagen is the VW Golf. First produced in 1974, the Golf is a signature car by the company. Marketed worldwide, it has been the backbone of VW ever since production of the original Beetle ended in 1978.