VOLKSWAGEN HISTORY

The history of the People's Car, Volkswagen, begins on May 28th 1937 when
the Geselschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagen mbH company is
created. A year later it is renamed into Volkswagenwerk GmbH has it's
headquarters established in Wolfsburg, a city especially created for the workers on
the Volkswagen plant that are going to mass produce Hitler's dream car for the
average German, designed by Ferdinand Porsche.
But Hitler's plans weren't going to materialize because WWII started and the
plant switched production to armaments and the vehicles under the VW logo went
to the army of the Third Reich. After the war, the plant at Wolfsburg went under
Allied control, British to be specific, and under the supervision of Major Ivan Hirst,
Volkswagen began the mass production of the Type 1, or the Beetle as it would
come to be known throughout the world.
Initial sales abroad were disastrous, but through clever advertising, the Beetle
gained popularity with the young crowd and from 1945 to 1955 numbers reached
the 1 million mark. Meanwhile, sometime at the end of the 40s, Volkswagen also
introduced the Type 2, a people carrier, known as the VW Bully.
Even through the 60s and 70s, the Beetle manages to stay on top of sales,
despite the fact that it was becoming obsolete. Reliability, easy maintenance and
reduced fuel consumption made the car remain a consumer favorite. On February
17th 1972, Volkswagen celebrated selling over 15 million units of the Beetle sold,
thus surpassing the Ford Model T as the most popular car in the world, a title which
it still holds to this day.
Despite the success it had with the Beetle, by the beginning of the 70s,
Volkswagen AG was in dire need of new models to replace the aging Beetle. The
help came from Audi/Auto Union, which WV had bought back in the sixties. They
brought with them the knowledge for front-wheel drive vehicles and water-cooled
engines.
In 1974, the first Golf rolls out of the factory's door and becomes and instant hit.
Marketed as the Rabbit in the United States and Canada, it was responsible for
putting Volkswagen back on the map. That same year, a more sporty model, the
Scirocco makes it's way onto the Volkswagen line up. For the smaller car market,
the German car maker came up with the Polo in 1976, which was quite popular
throughout Western Europe.
The next decade saw Volkswagen trying to improve their products with new
generations of all the older models and expanding their influence by taking over
Spanish manufacturer Seat and the Czech-based Skoda Auto.
As the 90s rolled in, VW-owned Audi became a direct competitor for BMW and
Mercedes-Benz with products designed for a more pretentious market. This left a
void in the general market which Volkswagen now tried to fill. The third generation

vehicles now came with better quality and standards. Gradually, new luxury models
were introduced, like the Touareg,Passat CC ,Tiguan ,Passat B8, etc.
All Volkswagen models are appreciated by there owners because of there
dotantion.

For example:
a) ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS
-ACC Adaptive Cruise Control
-Area View
-Blind Spot sensor
-City Emergency Braking
-Driver Alert System
-Emergency Assist
-Front Assist
-Lane Assist
-Light Assist Systems
-Multi Collision Brake
-Park Assist
-ParkPilot
b) ENGINES & CHASSIS
- Electric motor
- Hybrid technology
- TGI / Eco Fuel
- TSI
- TDI
C) BLUEMOTION
- Brake Energy Recuperation
- Gear Recommendation
- Think Blue. Trainer
- Start-Stop System
- Freewheel Function
- Aerodynamics
I share the oppinion of the millions of Volkswagen car owners from all over
the world that-that Volkswagen is the most efficiente and suitable car for those who
need confort ,power ,safety protection.All these qualties makes Volkswagen the best
car money can buy.

Questions:
How many cars sold Volkswagen February 17th 1972?
When Volkswagen rolled with Audi ?

Vocabulary:
Aging- gradual change in an organism that leads to increased risk of weakness,
disease, and death.
Obsolete- no longer used because something newer exists : replaced by something
newer.
WEB SITES:
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
http://www.autoevolution.com/volkswagen/history/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/volkswagen-is-founded
http://webspecial.volkswagen.de/innovative-technologies/com/en/mainpage.html?
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