Volkswagen Brief History

When people talk about Volkswagen, the first thingFrom the 1970s and onward Volkswagen has also
that usually pops up in their mind is the ever-popularreleased several other models like the Golf, Polo and
Type 1 or Beetle model. The German-based carthe Passat with varying degrees of success and with
manufacturing company first entered the scene duringthe Golf as its mainstay model. It wasn't until 1998 that
the late 1930's when Adolf Hitler asked FerdinandVolkswagen decided to go back to its roots, releasing
Porsche Sr. to design an automobile that would bethe New Beetle, a design which was based on the
more accessible to the common man. The result wasGolf chassis but retained some similarities to the
the very first Beetle (known that time as theoriginal, providing a huge boosts to the brand up to the
KdF-Wagen), which despite only having less than 200present.
parts, served as Volkswagen's foundation throughoutMuch of Volkswagen's prominence can easily be
its history.attributed to the staying power of their first model, the
After the Second World War, the company fell intoBeetle. Originally an economy vehicle, the classic Type
disarray but bounced back when British Army Major1 sported an air-cooled engine, making it easily
Ivan Hirst took over the felled factory. This came aftercustomizable and came with durable and easily
American forces handed control over to the British.repairable parts.
The Beetle was once again put to production despiteThe use of VW Parts are not limited to the Beetle
the damage brought on by the war, with thealone, as other companies have collaborated with
Wolfsburg factory producing around 1000 cars perVolkswagen or used Volkswagen Auto Parts and
month.components to produce their cars, like the Porsche 914
As Germany started recovering from the aftermathand 914-6 and the Porsche 356.
of WWII, Volkswagen would further grow and breakVW Parts were also provided for a series commercial
into foreign markets, most notably that of the UStrucks under the joint venture between the
automotive industry. Volkswagen also ventured onVolkswagen Commercial Vehicles and MAN AG,
other projects, releasing the Type 2 or Transporter, awhose production was from 1979 to 1993.
van based on the design of the Beetle. Despite theFinally, other industries also found use for VW Parts,
shaky start, the Type 2 and the Beetle became thespecifically the Volkswagen air cooled engine, which
front runners for Volkswagen throughout the 1960s tofound action on many experimental airplanes during the
the 1970s with Volkswagen releasing updated versions60's. In Australia, the engine was used in rather odd
periodically. The mid-60s was also the time thatways, powering a ski lift for the Thredbo ski resort in
Volkswagen started acquiring different subsidiaries,New South Wales, and also modified as an
effectively making it the Volkswagen Group.air-compressor for some remote mining communities.