(CEO),
Kfaus Kennberg (executive director)
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A (subsidiary of Audi AG) ,
Bentley Motors Ltd.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. (subsidiary of Volkswagen France) Scania AB
SEAT S.A.
Skoda Auto a.s.
Volkswagen Marine
Porsche
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (subsidiary of Audi AG)
ItalDesign Giugiaro
The Volkswagen Group consists of 342 companies involved in the production of vehicles and related services. As of September 2011, Porsche Automobil Holding SE (also known as Porsche SE) owns 50.73% of the voting shares of Volkswagen AG. In turn, Volkswagen AG owns 49.9% of the ordinary shares of the intermediate holding Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH (the remaining 50.1% is directly owned by Porsche SE), and Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH owns 100% of the shares of the luxury car manufacturer Porsche AG. Negotiations are underway to merge into a single structure VW-Porsche. Until September 2015, Martin Winterkorn was simultaneously Chairman of the Board of Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG.
According to the results of 9 months of 2009, it was the world's largest car manufacturer. Ranked 14th on the Fortune Global 500 in 2009. The leader of the European car market (more than 25%).
History
The concern originates from the company founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1937 in Berlin, Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH (Society for the preparation of a German people's car under the National Socialist organization Strength through Joy). In early 1938, construction began on the first Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg; On September 16 of the same year, the company was renamed "Volkswagenwerk GmbH". After World War II, the factories came under the control of the British military administration.
On August 22, 1960, the Volkswagen Plants limited liability company was founded, which, after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, became owned by the state of Lower Saxony. By decision of the annual general meeting in 1985, the name of the company was changed to "Volkswagen AG". In addition to the automotive and motorcycle industries, the concern provided financial and logistics services and had a small food business.
In the early 1990s, the concern experienced great difficulties. Appointed Chairman of the Group in 1993, Ferdinand Piech turned out to be an excellent crisis manager. He practically saved the concern by moving it to a four-day work week. Until 2015, Piech played one of the key roles in the concern. It was he who achieved outstanding success, choosing an offensive policy and acquiring a whole galaxy of popular automobile brands.
Corporate structure
Financial divisionIn March 1991, in order to optimize the organizational structure, Volkswagen forms an internal division called Volkswagen Finanz, which in January 1994 becomes independent within the group as a closed joint-stock company Volkswagen Financial Services. 100% of the share capital belongs to Volkswagen AG. As a banking and financial structure, Volkswagen Financial Services gains access to international financial markets and the opportunity to finance projects on favorable terms. The Group's financial division, Volkswagen Financial Services, is currently the largest financial operator in the automotive market in Europe, headquartered in Braunschweig. Assets of Volkswagen Financial Services at the end of 2009 amounted to more than 60.2 billion euros. Volkswagen Financial Services employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, including 3,600 employees based in Germany itself. The division deals with:
ActivityIn 2010, the revenue of the Volkswagen AG concern amounted to €57.243 billion, net profit - €1.55 billion. In 2009, despite the global crisis and the general decline in car sales, the company managed to increase car sales worldwide by 0.6%. This is a sales record, which reached the level of 6.23 million vehicles. In 2006, the concern sold 5.72 million vehicles worth €104.9 billion (net profit for this period amounted to €2.75 billion). More than 370 thousand people worked at the Group's enterprises. In 2005, the concern produced 5.22 million and sold 5.19 million vehicles. 7.5% of sales came from Germany, 44.7% from Europe, 15% from North America, 6.6% from Asia Pacific, 4.4% from South America and 1.8% from Africa. Revenue in 2005 amounted to €95.3 billion, an increase of 7% compared to 2004, VW's net profit was €1.12 billion (€697 million in 2004). In April 2019, it was reported that Volkswagen, together with the Chinese company Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC), are planning to build a new factory for the production of electric vehicles in China. According to preliminary data, the construction of a new production facility will require about $750 million. ProductionThe Volkswagen AG concern owns 48 automobile manufacturing enterprises in 15 countries of Europe and in six countries of America, Asia and Africa. More than 370 thousand people work at the enterprises of the group, more than 26,600 vehicles are produced daily, authorized sales and service of vehicles are carried out in more than 150 countries of the world. Volkswagen in RussiaVolkswagen Group Rus LLC is the official distributor of Volkswagen, Audi, ŠKODA, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Russia. The activity of the company as a single importing company dates back to 2003. The General Director is Markus Ozegowicz. In 2014, Volkswagen Group Rus became the official partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. To organize the transfer of guests, the company provided the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee with more than 3,000 Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, most of which were produced at the company's Russian plants. In March 2016, the company put into operation a new warehouse for spare parts and accessories in the city of Chekhov near Moscow. In February 2018, the company's plant won the Transformer of the Year award for the best performance among Volkswagen brand plants in the world. In July 2018, the company expanded the boundaries of its activities and received the status of an official importer of Volkswagen brands - passenger cars and Volkswagen-Commercial vehicles in Kazakhstan. In November 2018, the Volkswagen Group Rus plant in Kaluga produced the 500,000th Volkswagen Polo sedan in the Drive configuration with a 1.6-liter engine with 110 hp. from. and a 6-speed automatic transmission. This car was handed over to the Russian car sharing operator Delimobil. In 2018, the company's sales in the Russian market amounted to 211,800 vehicles. The market share in 2018 reached 11.8%. The volume of sales of all brands of the Volkswagen Group in Russia amounted to 229,800 (including the results of sales of brands Porsche, MAN and Scania). In 2018, the company's production sites produced 200,000 vehicles: 143,500 vehicles at the company's plant in Kaluga and 56,500 vehicles at the production site in Nizhny Novgorod. The volume of engine production amounted to 161,000 engines, 44,000 of which were exported to production sites in Spain and the Czech Republic. Factory in KalugaOn May 29, 2006, the company signed an investment agreement with the administration of the Kaluga region and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia on the construction of an automobile plant near the city of Kaluga, in the technopark Grabtsevo. The initial investment in the project amounted to 570 million Euros. Initially, the plant, opened on November 28, 2007, produced Škoda Octavia cars using SKD technology. In October 2009, the plant launched the production of full-cycle bodies, including welding and painting. At the end of October 2009, Volkswagen Group Rus announced work on a project for a budget B-class sedan, created on the basis of the Volkswagen Polo hatchback specifically for the Russian market. At the beginning of June 2010, it became known about the practical readiness of the car, called Volkswagen Polo sedan. The car was put into production at the plant in Kaluga in the summer of 2010. The plant currently produces Volkswagen Tiguan , Volkswagen Polo and Škoda Rapid . In 2013, the level of production localization was estimated at 50%. In November 2016, a new body shop with an area of 12,000 sq. m. Additional capacities of the enterprise made it possible to organize the production of the second generation Volkswagen Tiguan. The total investment of the Volkswagen Group in the production of the new Tiguan amounted to 180 million euros. In June 2017, production of the updated Škoda Rapid started at the plant in Kaluga. engine plantIn 2015, a plant for the production of 1.6 MPI engines of the EA211 series was opened in Kaluga. The plant's capacity is 150,000 engines per year. In February 2016, the millionth car rolled off the assembly line in Kaluga, which was a Volkswagen Polo Allstar with a locally produced engine. In October 2016, the 200,000th 1.6 MPI EA211 series engine was produced since the opening of the engine factory. In 2018, 161,000 engines were manufactured, of which 44,000 were exported. Production in Nizhny NovgorodSince 2012, the company has also started producing cars at the production site of the GAZ Group in Nizhny Novgorod. The contract assembly agreement with the Russian GAZ Group was signed on June 14, 2011. . In accordance with the agreement, GAZ has now organized a full cycle of production of Škoda Octavia and Škoda Kodiaq cars. In June 2017, Volkswagen Group and GAZ Group signed a cooperation agreement in three areas:
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Today we’ll talk about Volkswagen aktiengesellschaft, which literally translates from German as a Volkswagen joint-stock company. Yes, this is how VAG stands for, although in our country everyone is used to thinking that VAG is the Volkswagen Audi Group, but this is more of a popular name.
VAG is also sometimes called Volkswagen Konzern, Volkswagen Group, VW Group.
Let's see what is Volkswagen aktiengesellschaft. This joint-stock company includes 342 companies that are engaged in the production of cars and everything connected with it. There is a small legal confusion within the company, which does not give a clear picture of the owner of the concern. Volkswagen is partly owned by Porsche automobil Holding SE, 50.73% to be exact. In turn, Volkswagen AG owns 49.9% of Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH. That is, today it is such an automotive giant consisting of Volkswagen and Porsche. The company is even negotiating a merger into a single structure of Volkswagen Porsche.
Yet how is it that one company owns so many car brands? The thing is that at the end of the last century, Volkswagen experienced serious financial difficulties. In 1993, Ferdinand Piech was appointed chairman of the board of the concern, who helped the company get out of the deepest crisis.
He managed to optimize the work of the enterprise well and get out of the crisis while buying up weak car brands at that moment.
Which brands are included in the Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
1. - produces passenger cars
2. - The company was bought from daimler-benz in 1964.
3. - the company was acquired in 1991.
4. is an Italian brand of passenger cars that was bought from the state in 1986.
5. Bentley - premium segment cars, the brand was purchased in 1998.
6.Lamborghini is a supercar company owned by Audi which bought it in 1998.
7.Porsche - we have already talked about the mess with the shares, but still it is believed that Porsches are part of Volkswagen.
8.Ducati Motor - a brand little known in the CIS, but very popular abroad, is engaged in the production of premium motorcycles, also acquired by Audi in 2012.
Scania AB - 70% of the shares were acquired in 2009, the company produces truck tractors and trucks, which by the way are in great demand in the Russian Federation
Man - 56% of the shares was acquired in 2011. The company is also engaged in the production of truck tractors, trucks, dump trucks and buses.
There is another company called Volkswagen comercial Vehicles that produces commercial vehicles. These are cars like the Volkswagen Crafter.
Some facts about VAG
2005 the concern produced 5.22 million vehicles
In 2006, the concern sold 5.72 million cars, net profit for this period amounted to 2.75 billion euros (Hello AvtoVAZ)
The Volkswagen concern is known all over the world. This is indeed the largest group of companies involved in the production of cars. The parent company (or, as they say, the parent company) is located in Wolfsburg and is called, as everyone knows, Volkswagen AG. Well, this concern has a very rich and long history and a lot of interesting facts. So it is worth talking about it in more detail.
Porsche and Volkswagen
So, the headquarters of this concern is located in Germany, in Wolfsburg. The company was named "Volkswagen", which means "people's car" in German. To date, about half of the shares are owned by such a holding as Porsche SE. Nevertheless, the Volkswagen concern owns all one hundred percent of the ordinary shares of the intermediate holding, which is called Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH. In general, in fact, "Porsche" is the car that produces "Volkswagen". Today, management companies are negotiating to combine the firms into a single structure, which could be called VW-Porsche. It is also interesting that Martin Winterkorn (a fairly well-known personality in the automotive world) until September 2015 served as chairman of the board of both Volkswagen and Porsche.
But that is not all. Today, the Volkswagen Group consists of 342 companies that produce cars and provide services related to this area. It is the largest car manufacturer in the world. And of course, the undisputed leader of the European car market. 25% of the cars that drive on the roads of the continent are produced by Volkswagen.
About history
The Volkswagen concern begins its history in 1937. The founder of the company is Ferinand Porsche. It was he who created the so-called Society for the preparation of Volkswagen mbH. And in 1938, they began to build the first Volkswagen plant. Of course, it was in Wolfsburg. In addition to the automotive industry, the plant was engaged in another type of activity. The Volkswagen AG concern then provided logistics and financial services. And besides that, he had a small food business.
In the 1990s, the company began to experience major difficulties. There were some serious financial problems. But thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Ferdinand Piech, everything worked out. In fact, this man saved Volkswagen. The concern switched to a 4-day working week, began to follow an offensive policy and began to develop at an even faster pace. In the end, the company managed to acquire just a huge number of popular brands.
Rolls Royce and Suzuki
From 1998 to 2002, the Volkswagen automobile concern was engaged in the production of cars such as Rolls-Royce. All people know about these luxurious models, even those who are not familiar with the auto world. This topic is quite interesting. A division of the Volkswagen Bentley group was engaged in the production of these cars under an agreement with another company - BMW. Why? But because the Munich company bought from such a concern as Vickers, the rights to this brand. And since 2003, only BMW has the right to manufacture and produce cars with the eminent Rolls-Royce emblem.
In 2009, the Volkswagen Group stepped even further - it entered into an alliance with a company such as Suzuki. The firms exchanged blocks of shares (German manufacturers got 20% of Suzuki's shares) and announced the joint development of so-called ecological machines. But in 2011, the alliance broke up, which was announced to the world.
2015 scandal
In September of the current year, 2015, a worldwide scandal broke out around Volkswagen. The concern was accused of the fact that the program that the developers used in the on-board computers they produce determined one important moment. Namely, in what mode the machine works - in normal or in test mode. This program was started in cars with diesel power units. Including VW Jetta, Audi A3, Golf, Passat, Beetle. When testing began, the car automatically switched to an environmentally friendly mode of operation. A very smart and thoughtful system, I must say. However, this turned out to be a huge disaster for the concern and financial costs.
The Environmental Protection Agency said that for absolutely every car that does not meet US standards, the company will have to pay a fine of 37.5 thousand dollars. It turns out a fabulous amount. After all, since 2008 the concern has sold 482,000 cars. And the total amount of fines can reach 18 billion! To date, half a million of its vehicles have been recalled from the United States. This is also a loss. The chairman of the company, Martin Winterkorn, apologized publicly after the incident and said that he would definitely support the investigation. By the way, the ministry is engaged in it. After that, Martin retired after more than a dozen years working at Volkswagen.
Acquired companies before 2000
So, it is worth talking in more detail about what is included in the Volkswagen concern. Naturally, the main part of it is the Volkswagen company, which produces cars. The company is not formalized as a “daughter” of the parent concern, but is a division directly reporting to the management of VW AG.
In 1964, the company "Audi" was attached to this structure. It was purchased from Daimler-Benz. Next after Audi was a company such as NSU Motorenwerke. She was bought in 1969. This brand has not been used as an independent brand for a long time - since 1977. And before that, the company produced motorcycles and cars.
They took over the Spanish brand Seat, which has existed since 1950. Volkswagen owns 99.99% of the company's shares. The most interesting models began to appear after Seat joined the German structure. For example, SEAT Bocanegra with a 180-horsepower engine, which was designed by Lamborghini specialists.
In 1991, the company acquired the Czech Škoda, and then returned to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. This company was once part of VW AG, but in 1995 it became an independent brand. Or rather, a division. Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini - these brands are known all over the world today. And these are concerns owned by Volkswagen since 1998. That year was a shock year for the company. After all, these cars are considered one of the most popular, well-known and actively bought by people.
Acquired firms after 2000
The Volkswagen Group continued to acquire shares further. In 2009, he bought almost 71% of Scania AB. This production is engaged in the development and production of dump trucks, buses, trucks, truck tractors and diesel engines. Another company, MAN AG, bought in 2011, produces all of the above, as well as hybrid powertrains in addition. VW AG owns 55.9% of the company's shares.
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A and ItalDesign Giugiaro are two other manufacturers bought by Volkswagen. The first of these companies is one of the leading manufacturers of premium motorcycles. And the second is a studio engaged in the design of cars. Interestingly, 90% of the shares of this company in 2010 were bought by the Lamborghini holding. So Volkswagen was already the owner of the studio, but after the paperwork was completed, it also became the official owner.
And one more interesting information. VW AG acquired the Russian Aleko in 2013 (it was under this TM that the well-known cheap Moskviches were sold for some time). The right to use this brand and any emblems belongs to the German concern until 2021.
Financial questions
In 1991, in March, in order to optimize the organizational structure, the German concern decided to form an internal division that would deal with financial issues. It was named Volkswagen Finanz. In 1994 it became a closed joint stock company. This banking and financial structure gets full access to international financial markets, as well as the opportunity to finance on very favorable terms. This division deals with important issues. For example, financing the development, production and purchase of machines for corporate and individual customers. It also provides banking, leasing and insurance services to these individuals. In general, useful activity and, most importantly for the company, profitable.
About profit
And a couple of interesting facts in the end. In 2010, VW AG made a huge amount of money, amounting to 57.243 billion euros! But out of all this, the net profit turned out to be only 1.55 billion. It seems small compared to the revenue. However, this is actually a lot of money. After all, all expenses that go to almost 350 companies are taken into account. Because the profit is really solid. Therefore, it is not surprising that Volkswagen is by far the largest, richest and most famous company.
In the very early days of the automobile industry, all car manufacturers were, of course, independent of one another. But . As a result, more successful car companies began to buy competing car brands. Subsequently, the world's largest conglomerates began to be created in the automotive industry, which to this day are the largest auto companies in the world in terms of the number of products produced and, naturally, in terms of sales. Let's look at the current state of the global auto business. We invite you to find out which famous and popular ones are currently under the control of large corporations and auto alliances.
Abarth - owned by Fiat/Chrysler
Abarth was founded in 1949. Initially, the auto brand was engaged in the production of racing cars and the production of automotive components for powerful vehicles. In 1971, company founder Carlo Abat sold his brand to the company. Abarth is currently producing more powerful versions based on Fiat vehicles.
Alfa Romeo - Owned by Fiat/Chrysler
At the moment, the Audi brand is the largest part of the world's largest auto concern Volkswagen.
Bentley - Owned by Volkswagen
Ferrari - owned by Fiat
In 1969, Fiat acquired a 50% stake in Ferrari after a planned buyout of the Italian premium brand by Ford failed. Fiat eventually increased its shareholding to 90%. In 2014, Fiat Chrysler decided to separate the brand from the main group. As a result, the deal was completed in 2016, and the Agnelli family, who founded Fiat, became the largest shareholder of Ferrari.
Infiniti - Owned by Nissan
Lamborghini - owned by Volkswagen
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lamborghini was owned by Chrysler. Currently part of the Volkswagen Group. Lamborghini became part of this company in 1998, when the brand came under control.
Land Rover - Owned by TATA
Land Rover has been owned by many well-known automobile brands throughout the long history of the automotive industry, ranging from and ending with the American company Ford. But in 2008, the Land Rover brand, along with Jaguar, came under the control of the Indian industrial giant Tata. Immediately after the takeover, the two independent brands and Jaguar were merged into one company.
Lexus - Owned by Toyota
Lexus is wholly owned by Toyota. The brand is the luxury division of a Japanese company. Like Acura, Infiniti, which are owned and respectively, the Lexus brand was brought to market to enter the US premium car market as well as the UK.
Lotus - Owned by Proton
Malaysian automaker Proton bought the company in 1993 from Italian businessman Romano Artioli (who owned Bugatti in those years). Today, the Lotus brand is still owned by Proton. The strangest thing is that Lotus cars are still being produced and sold all over the world (mainly in England), while the production of cars under the Proton brand has been discontinued.
Maserati - Owned by Fiat-Chrysler
Maserati has been a 100% subsidiary of Fiat since 1993. Today it belongs to the Fiat-Chrysler automaker.
Mercedes - Owned by Daimler
Mercedes-Benz is the largest and most well-known automobile brand within the Daimler Corporation. Daimler also owns several commercial vehicle manufacturers.
MG - Owned by Saic
MG is owned by a Chinese company after MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005. Initially, the MG brand was bought by the Chinese company Nanjing Automobile, but then it was bought by the Shanghai company SAIC.
Mini - Owned by BMW
In 2000, BMW sold their MG, Rover and Land Rover brands, which were known to be part of the Rover Group. But in the sale, BMW retained control of Mini. As a result, today BMW, in addition to Rolls-Royce, retains control over the brand.
Mitsubishi - Owned by Nissan-Renault
Mitsubishi Motors is the automotive division of the Mitsubishi Group, which, in addition to auto production, is involved in projects in nuclear energy, banking and many other business areas. In October 2016, Nissan became the company's largest shareholder by purchasing a 34% stake. So Mitsubishi became part of the Renault-Nissan auto alliance.
Nissan - Owned by the Renault-Nissan Auto Alliance
After several years of financial difficulties, Nissan entered into an alliance with Renault in 1993. Technically, the two companies are separate. But the technologies, methods of work in the production of cars are the same. The autoalliance also has a single CEO, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan has a smaller stake in Renault, while Renault has a larger stake in Nissan, which is essentially a junior partner.
Porsche - Owned by Volkswagen
The car manufacturer is a subsidiary of Volkswagen.
Renault - Owned by the Renault-Nissan Alliance
Renault was once owned by the French government. In 1996 the company was privatized. But today, France still has a stake in Renault. Today, Renault is part of the world's largest auto alliance Renault-Nissan, which recently also included Mitsubishi.
Rolls-Royce - Owned by BMW
Rolls-Royce Motors was bought by Volkswagen in 1998. Five years later, the company was taken over by BMW.
Seat - Owned by Volkswagen
Since 1986 it has been the single largest car manufacturer in Spain. Since this year, the company has been part of Volkswagen.
Skoda - Owned by Volkswagen
Volkswagen started buying Skoda shares in 1991, at a time of great change in the former Czechoslovakia. Since 2000, Skoda has been wholly owned by the VW Group.
Smart - Owned by Daimler
Initially, the idea of a radical city car was first proposed by the owner of watch manufacturer Swatch. Smart is now wholly owned by Daimler.
SsangYong - Owned by Mahindra & Mahindra
Although SsangYong is still based in South Korea, the main owner of the Korean auto brand is the Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra, which acquired a 70% stake in the Korean company in 2011.
Subaru - Owned by Fuji
Subaru is owned by Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), which will soon change its name to Subaru Corporation. FHI has six independent automotive companies. The major shareholders of the company are Toyota and Suzuki. Suzuki has a large share.
Vauxhall / Opel - Owned by PSA (Citroen-Peugeot)
Vauxhall cars / despite the fact that they were positioned as British and German car brands, in fact, for a long time they were part of the world's largest automaker General Motors. General Motors has owned the Vauxhall/Opel brands since 1925. In March 2017, it was announced that the Vauxhall/Opel brands were being taken over by the Citroen-Peugeot Auto Alliance (PSA).
Volvo - Owned by Geely
After being a completely independent Swedish car brand for more than 70 years, Volvo became part of Ford in 2000, which 9 years later sold the Swedish brand to the Chinese company Geely.
Lada AvtoVAZ - Owned by Renault-Nissan Alliance and Rostec
In 2008, a controlling stake in the AvtoVAZ car plant was received by Renault.
GAZ - Owned by Basic Element, Oleg Deripaska
In 2000, a controlling stake in GAZ OJSC was acquired by Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element. In 2001, the Gorky Automobile Plant became part of the RusPromAvto auto holding.
The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest automotive companies. It currently consists of 12 companies:
Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Man, Scania, Volkswagen commercial vehicles, Porsche and Ducati.
A few facts about each company that is part of the concern.
The beginning of the creation of the Volkswagen company was laid in October 1933 in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler announced the need to create a reliable and inexpensive car for the people of Germany.
The Fuhrer's demand was embodied in metal by the brilliant designer Ferdinand Porsche, who already in January 1934 presented the drawings of the first car for the people, which was called the "people's car" ("Volks-Wagen"). The basis of the people's car was the previously developed model Porsche Typ 60.
During World War II, work on the construction of Volkswagen was suspended, and the unfinished plant was converted to the production of military products.
VW opened its divisions in 1959 in Brazil - "Volkswagen do Brasil S.A.", and then in Mexico "Volkswagen de Mexico S.A. de C.V."
The Golf I, introduced in 1974, marked a new stage of competition in the production of a class of compact cars that became almost officially called the "golf class".
Volkswagen has given the world iconic vehicles and is firmly in first place in many automotive niches.
Autostadt (Autostadt) - a real city within a city with a length of more than 5 km and an area of 25 hectares, which is the communication platform of the Volkswagen Group, its individual brands and customers. The complex is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany, which is visited annually by about 2 million people. The Volkswagen Autostadt is located on the bank of an artificial canal between the center of Wolfsburg and the Volkswagen factory.
Volkswagen has its own football team (VFL "Wolfsburg") with the excellent home stadium Volkswagen Arena.
2. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
This is part of the Volkswagen Group, which produces commercial vehicles such as minibuses, buses, pickups, trucks and tractors.
Initially, this division was one part of VW, but in 1995, Dr. Bernd Wiedemann, former chairman of the board of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, announced the separation of the division into an independent production unit of the group.
The Audi concern was formed as a result of the merger of four companies that produced cars and motorcycles under the brands DKW, Horch, Audi and Wanderer. On June 29, 1932, Audi, Horch and DKW merged to form Auto Union AG, symbolized by the famous four rings.
In 1964, the company became part of Volkswagen. In 1965, it was decided to release all new models of the concern that had lost its independence under the Audi brand. The first time after the takeover of Volkswagen did not want Audi to develop its own cars. They were going to produce the VW "Beetle" model at the enterprise's facilities. But Ludwig Kraus, who was then the head of the design department, decided to develop the model secretly from everyone. The result of his work was the Audi 100, which appeared in 1968.
In 1993, the Audi Group was formed, which eventually included the Hungarian and Brazilian divisions, the British Cosworth Technology, the Italian Automobili Lamborghini and the Spanish SEAT were absorbed.
4. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (shortly: Lamborghini) is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars. Located in the village of Sant'Agata Bolognese, near Bologna. The company was founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini.
In 1978, due to the oil crisis, the company declared itself bankrupt. For the next 20 years, Automobili Lamborghini was owned by Chrysler and then by M'tec (Megatech). In 1998, Audi AG became the owner of the company.
The history of the SEAT brand dates back to 1919. Then the Italian company FIAT decides to open its branch in the town of Martorell, a suburb of Barcelona. On November 13, 1953, the first SEAT car rolled off the assembly line at the Martorell plant.
On September 30, 1982, a cooperation agreement was signed between SEAT and the Volkswagen Group, and on June 9, 1986, Volkswagen acquired a 51% stake in the Spanish company. By 1990, the Volkswagen Group became the full owner of SEAT.
The first cars under the Skoda brand were produced in 1919. On April 16, 1991, an agreement was signed on the sale of a 31% stake in the ownership of Škoda, a.a.s. VAG for 620 million marks.
In December 1995, VAG increased its share to 70% by paying 1.4 billion marks. In January 1998, the company changed its name to Škoda Auto, a.s. VAG received final control in May 2000, when the remaining 30% share was bought out for 12.3 billion kroons.
A more detailed history of the Skoda brand can be read on ours.
Ettore Bugatti founded his firm in 1909. Sports cars Type 16 and Type 18 were made in 1914. At the European Grand Prix in 1924, the Bugatti Type 35 took all the first four places. Today, Bugatti is focused on the production of expensive sports cars.
The Bugatti brand was acquired by Volkswagen AG in 1998. The first car it presented was the fiberglass EB118 coupe, created by ItalDesign stylist Fabrizio Giugiaro.
In 2005, the Volkswagen concern begins mass production of a new unique model, officially called the bugatti veyron 16.4.
8. Bentley is an English company specializing in the production of exclusive expensive cars that are not available to everyone.
The history of the English automaker Bentley began on January 18, 1919, when Walter Owen Bentley, together with F. Barges and G. Varley, developed their first car with a 3-liter engine unprecedented for those times.
Bentley has been making luxury cars since 1930.
In 1952 Bentley introduced the Continental. It was a sports two-door car that gained fame as the fastest production sedan.
Bentley still produces various variants of the Continental, which are distinguished by excellent quality interior trim (leather from Conolli, rare wood panels or polished aluminum) and thoughtful chassis design.
The most powerful Continental T with a short wheelbase and a 6.8-liter Vickers turbo engine develops 426 hp. and is rightfully considered one of the fastest coupes in the world.
Since 1998, Bentley has been part of the Volkswagen Group.
9. MAN SE is a German engineering company specializing in the production of trucks, buses and engines. Founded in 1758, it was previously called Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG (Machine Factory Augsburg-Nürnberg, AO). The headquarters is located in Munich.
From January 1943 to April 1945 inclusive, MAN produced Pz Kpfw V "Panther" tanks by order of the Reich.
In 1951, the company developed the first German diesel engine for trucks with an exhaust gas turbocharger.
In 1962, MAN took over Porsche Diesel Motorenbau (the diesel tractor division of Porsche KG in the 1950s and early 1960s).
In 1979, MAN began cooperating with Volkswagen on medium-sized trucks, which received the MAN-VW brand.
To date, the main shareholder of MAN is the Volkswagen Group (75.03%), the rest of the shares are in free float. In March 2013, VW made a preliminary offer to buy the remaining shares in MAN. The issue of buying the company will be considered by the board of directors of MAN SE at the annual meeting on June 6.
10.Scania AB is a Swedish manufacturer of trucks, buses and industrial and marine engines that has been producing buses since 1920. The headquarters is located in Södertälje, Sweden.
In 1969, Scania merged with the Swedish company Saab. But their cooperation did not last long, and since 1995 Scania has again become an independent company.
Major shareholders: Volkswagen AG (70.94%), MAN (17.37%).
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (full name Doktor Ingenieur honoris causa Ferdinand Porsche Aktiengesellschaft - Joint Stock Company of the Honorary Doctor of Engineering Ferdinand Porsche) is a German engineering company founded by the famous designer Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. The headquarters and manufactory is located in Stuttgart, Germany.
In 1939, the company's first car, the Porsche 64, was developed, which became the progenitor of all future Porsches, and in 1963, the company's most famous model, the Porsche 911, was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
In December 2009, 49.9% of the company's shares were acquired by Volkswagen AG. In August 2012, VW finally took over Porsche.
12. Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer.
Ducati was founded in 1926 in Bologna. The founders of the company were the brothers Andriano and Marcello Ducati. Both of them were interested in radio engineering, so the first direction of the company's work was precisely the production of radio engineering. In the 20s of the XX century, the demand for horns, loudspeakers did its job, and the company developed well.
After the Second World War, the demand for radio equipment fell sharply, and the company came under state control. At that time, it was important for Italy to create cheap vehicles, so Ducati's activities were retrained into the production of motorbikes and velomobiles.
Already in the early 1950s, Ducati conquered half of the Italian motorbike market. By this time, light motorcycles were becoming more and more popular.
Since July 2012, Ducati has been a division of Audi AG.
The Volkswagen Group is also one of the largest shareholders of the Japanese company Suzuki Motor Corporation.
