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An initiative from the National Socialists in Germany—the Nazis—the [[KdF-Wagen]] (''Kraft durch Freude'' after the state leisure organization) attempted to mobilize the masses under Adolf Hitler’s régime through a savings’ plan. Ferdinand Porsche, the car’s designer, already had something along the lines of Hitler’s specifications that he had been working on since the early 1930s, and Porsche himself had used the word ''Volkswagen'', though it was not adopted officially or even colloquially at this point. The Nazis begun the savings’ scheme with a coupon book, but no cars were delivered as World War II broke out.
+
An initiative from the National Socialists in Germany—the Nazis—the [[KdF-Wagen]] (''Kraft durch Freude'' after the state leisure organization) attempted to mobilize the masses under Adolf Hitler’s régime through a savings’ plan. Ferdinand Porsche, the car’s designer, already had something along the lines of Hitler’s specifications that he had been working on since the early 1930s, and Porsche himself had used the word ''Volkswagen'', though it was not adopted officially or even colloquially at this point. The Nazis begun the savings’ scheme with a coupon book, but no cars were delivered as World War II broke out.
  
The British military in KdF-Stadt, renamed Wolfsburg, saw a need to get employment going after the war and Maj Ivan Hirst, the officer in the area, saw a chance to get the car into production, selling to the Allied forces. The Nazi-era names were abandoned and the car and factory became known as Volkswagen.
+
The British military in KdF-Stadt, renamed Wolfsburg, saw a need to get employment going after the war and Maj Ivan Hirst, the officer in the area, saw a chance to get the car into production, selling to the Allied forces. The Nazi-era names were abandoned and the car and factory became known as Volkswagen.
  
That car became known among English-speaking markets as the [[Volkswagen Käfer|Volkswagen Beetle]], or officially the Volkswagen Typ 1. It became a world-beater in the vein of the [[Ford Model T]], built in plants as far afield as Nigeria and Mexico, and did not finish production till 2003.
+
That car became known among English-speaking markets as the [[Volkswagen Käfer|Volkswagen Beetle]], or officially the Volkswagen Typ 1. It became a world-beater in the vein of the [[Ford Model T]], built in plants as far afield as Nigeria and México, and did not finish production till 2003.
  
On the success of the Volkswagen, especially in the United States, Volkswagen was in a position to acquire other firms, including [[Auto Union]] and [[NSU]], and revived the [[Audi]] brand in the 1960s.
+
On the success of the Volkswagen, especially in the United States, Volkswagen was in a position to acquire other firms, including [[Auto Union]] and [[NSU]], and revived the [[Audi]] brand in the 1960s.
  
With its following models finding modest success, Volkswagen began developing a new generation of cars in the 1960s. Those designs—the [[Audi 50]] (or [[Volkswagen Polo]]), the [[Volkswagen Golf|Golf]] and the [[Volkswagen Passat|Passat]] (and [[Audi 80]])—came to light in the 1970s and underpinned the company’s success in the 21st century.
+
With its following models finding modest success, Volkswagen began developing a new generation of cars in the 1960s. Those designs—the [[Audi 50]] (or [[Volkswagen Polo]]), the [[Volkswagen Golf|Golf]] and the [[Volkswagen Passat|Passat]] (and [[Audi 80]])—came to light in the 1970s and underpinned the company’s success in the 21st century.
  
Volkswagen expansion into Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, México and China has helped it secure low-cost manufacturing bases. Further acquisitions in the 1980s to 2000s, of [[Seat]], [[Škoda]], [[Bentley]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Bugatti]] and [[Scania]], have seen it become one of the biggest multinational automakers. Its relationship with [[Porsche]] has always been strong, even if there are management issues with the two cultures at the time of writing, but the sports car firm has been raising its stake in the Volkswagen business over the last year.
+
Volkswagen expansion into Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, México and China has helped it secure low-cost manufacturing bases. Further acquisitions in the 1980s to 2000s, of [[Seat]], [[Škoda]], [[Bentley]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Bugatti]] and [[Scania]], have seen it become one of the biggest multinational automakers. Its relationship with [[Porsche]] has always been close, with a structure that sees the Porsche holding company controlling Volkswagen AG, and the Porsche car-making business a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG.
  
  
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*[[Volkswagen Polo]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Polo]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Derby]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Derby]]
*[[Volkswagen Brasilia]]
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*[[Volkswagen Brasília]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Gol]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Gol]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Saveiro]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Saveiro]]
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*[[Volkswagen Senda]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Senda]]
 
*[[Volkswagen SpaceFox]]
 
*[[Volkswagen SpaceFox]]
 +
*[[Volkswagen Apollo]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Pointer]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Pointer]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Logus]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Logus]]
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*[[Volkswagen Scirocco]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Scirocco]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Corrado]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Corrado]]
*[[Volkswagen K70]]
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*[[Volkswagen K 70]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Sharan]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Sharan]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Passat]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Passat]]
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*[[Volkswagen Caravelle]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Caravelle]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Multivan]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Multivan]]
 +
*[[Volkswagen Phideon]]
 +
*[[Volkswagen Teramont]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Phaeton]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Phaeton]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Touareg]]
 
*[[Volkswagen Touareg]]

Latest revision as of 00:28, 27 November 2016

An initiative from the National Socialists in Germany—the Nazis—the KdF-Wagen (Kraft durch Freude after the state leisure organization) attempted to mobilize the masses under Adolf Hitler’s régime through a savings’ plan. Ferdinand Porsche, the car’s designer, already had something along the lines of Hitler’s specifications that he had been working on since the early 1930s, and Porsche himself had used the word Volkswagen, though it was not adopted officially or even colloquially at this point. The Nazis begun the savings’ scheme with a coupon book, but no cars were delivered as World War II broke out.

The British military in KdF-Stadt, renamed Wolfsburg, saw a need to get employment going after the war and Maj Ivan Hirst, the officer in the area, saw a chance to get the car into production, selling to the Allied forces. The Nazi-era names were abandoned and the car and factory became known as Volkswagen.

That car became known among English-speaking markets as the Volkswagen Beetle, or officially the Volkswagen Typ 1. It became a world-beater in the vein of the Ford Model T, built in plants as far afield as Nigeria and México, and did not finish production till 2003.

On the success of the Volkswagen, especially in the United States, Volkswagen was in a position to acquire other firms, including Auto Union and NSU, and revived the Audi brand in the 1960s.

With its following models finding modest success, Volkswagen began developing a new generation of cars in the 1960s. Those designs—the Audi 50 (or Volkswagen Polo), the Golf and the Passat (and Audi 80)—came to light in the 1970s and underpinned the company’s success in the 21st century.

Volkswagen expansion into Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, México and China has helped it secure low-cost manufacturing bases. Further acquisitions in the 1980s to 2000s, of Seat, Škoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Scania, have seen it become one of the biggest multinational automakers. Its relationship with Porsche has always been close, with a structure that sees the Porsche holding company controlling Volkswagen AG, and the Porsche car-making business a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG.


 

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