Overview & Reviews

Volkswagen is an automaker based in Germany. Its products typically command a higher price than those of competing models, but the return is a more upscale driving and ownership experience.

In 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned to build a small, inexpensive car at the request of Adolph Hitler. His answer -- a beetle-shaped sedan that was called a Volkswagen (German for "people's car") -- debuted two years later. Hitler had a town built near the plant for factory workers; he named it Kraft durch Freude Stadt (derived from the Nazi party's motto, "Joy through Strength"), and soon decided that Porsche's creation should be named the KdF-wagen (short for the "Joy through Strength" car). This upset Porsche, who was not political.

World War II delayed production of the vehicle; the factory suffered extensive damage during combat, and was ultimately taken over by the British Army. The company was renamed Volkswagen, and the town at the factory was renamed Wolfsburg (after Werner von Schulenberg of Wolfsburg, who had been forced to surrender his land for the construction of the town and factory). By the end of the 1940s, mass production of the Volkswagen Beetle had begun. The model made its first appearance on U.S. shores in 1949.

The 1950s saw Volkswagen broadening its product range, adding the Bus (Type 2) to its lineup. The Bus, especially, proved quite popular due to its versatility. And the Beetle, which went on to become the best-selling car of all time, quickly showed signs of being an enduring favorite, with more than 1 million models produced at the Wolfsburg factory by 1955. This decade also saw the debut of the Karmann Ghia sports car, which featured a sleek, Italian-designed two-seater body atop a Beetle platform.

Volkswagen's star rose during the 1960s, its success fueled largely by the breakout success of the Beetle. The car benefited from an effective advertising campaign and from an appearance in a popular Disney movie. By the close of the decade, Volkswagen's yearly output of Beetles topped the 1 million mark.

In 1972, with more than 15 million units assembled, the Beetle topped the world production record set by Ford's Model T. Mid-decade saw the launch of a new era of Volkswagens that had front-mounted, water-cooled engines driving the front wheels. The Passat (Dasher in the U.S.) was the first of the new breed and was built using standardized components that could be used interchangeably among other models in the manufacturer's lineup. The Passat was soon joined by the Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.), which met with immediate success. By the end of the decade, the manufacturer's lineup had grown to include the Scirocco sport coupe and the performance-oriented Golf/Rabbit GTI. The Beetle, however, was discontinued for the U.S. market.

The Golf grew in popularity during the '80s, becoming Volkswagen's most popular model. When a second generation of the car was built in 1983, it was crafted in a mostly automated process using robots -- marking the first time robots had been used in vehicle manufacture. By the mid-'80s, the U.S. version traded the Rabbit name for "Golf." The higher-performance Golf GTI helped the manufacturer make waves on the rally circuit. In 1986, Volkswagen Motorsport nabbed the title of Group A World Rally Champions.

Volkswagen saw its sales in the North American market tumble during the early '90s, but by the end of the decade, refocused marketing efforts and an increased emphasis on new products had brought about a turnaround in the company's fortunes. The popular New Beetle helped put the company back on the radar in the United States (though it fared less successfully in European markets). The body style was based on the classic Beetle, and it struck a chord with consumers who still had a place in their hearts for the iconic, cheerful-looking "love bug."

The new millennium saw Volkswagen moving into the luxury segment with the launch of the pricey Phaeton sedan and Touareg SUV. Though well-designed and executed, the Phaeton was a disappointment sales-wise, perhaps signaling unwillingness on the part of consumers to shell out premium dollars for a brand that lacks the cachet of established upscale names like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Luckily, Volkswagen has seen success with other vehicles in its lineup, which currently includes everything from family-oriented sedans to roomy SUVs. Today, the automaker enjoys a reputation for crafting vehicles that offer refined handling and upscale accommodations.

User Reviews:

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  beetle review - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By streetracer2345 - October 13 - 3:16 am

  it is ghetto , it looks and handles poorly and you would do better buying a civic, they r cheaper.

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  piece of junk - 2007 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Kevin - October 11 - 8:33 pm

  I had a 1987 VW Jetta and I had the worst experience with it. I thought after 2 decades VW finally got better. Oh boy I was wrong. The 1987 was made in Canada and Mexico, and when it needed repairs I had to buy German parts at very high price to repair the car. Same story with the 2007 model. Its made in Mexico and the workmanship is VERY POOR. Just within 2 months the car started to fall apart. This car is a mechanical nightmare. No wonder more and more people buy Toyota. Just after 1 month the master cylinder (for brakes) needed replacement. 4 days ago, the car overheated on the way to Vegas. I made a huge mistake to buy this car. What good is 6 airbags when it is always in repair shop?!!

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  wouldnt recommend to my worst enemy! - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By cwhitfield - October 11 - 12:36 pm

  this car has given us so many headaches and theres not enough tylenol or advil to go around! we take care of our vehicles religously and do not drive them into the ground. within 13 months the following: rear drive shaft @ $2000 - yep, i said TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS!! this has 2 fuel pumps - so if the primary goes, so does the secondary! Primary @ $900; and the secondary @ $500 = $1300 - it poses itself as an alternator problem, but nope - it gets more expensive because its the fuel pumps! as for the battery - yes, primary and secondary too! and theyre an ass to get to..so good luck. youd probably save yourself a few hundred if you did this yourself

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  The Worst Car I Have Ever Purchased - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Beth A. Donovan - October 9 - 12:20 am

  The top hit the back head rests. VW of America had to come in twice to fix this issue and it still does not work perfectly. Also, my cars windshild wipers had to be replaced at 10,000 miles. The air conditioning leaks on my feet. The headlight fell out after the second week. The alter light does not register when the top is down and the alarm sounds, 8 out of 10 times.

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  Electrical problems galore - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By cttguy - October 3 - 2:00 am

  In the year and 3 months that I have owned the 2002 Passat wagon, I have encountered numerous electrical problems. First, the entire security system went out after only 7,000 miles. After 9,000 miles the entire rear light assembly stopped working. After 12,000 the front headlight and rear cigarette lighter went out. After 17,000 the other headlight went out. Overall, this is an enjoyable car to drive but the reliability is a real issue. If you dont mind constant trips back to the dealership, buy one. Otherwise, avoid it like the plague.

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  HATE IT - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By MichaelJ - September 27 - 10:00 am

  If you loved the old beetle You will hate the "New" beetle. This car is a nightmare. Gas door Cable,Pwr windows,very poor. Quality of build is terrible.Most problems seem electrical in nature. Heated seats Change their control switchs at will? Throttle is dangerous it ignores your foot and does what it wants, another computer marvel.The transmission needs reset frequently as it learns driving habits according to the service people. My wife and I cant figure out who it is learning from.

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  Spend your money elsewhere - 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By julianna33 - September 21 - 8:07 pm

  From my experience with VW my car and others they are junk. They all break easily. I have had to repair so many things a 1K a pop 5 times at least. Not including maintenance things. The design so compact requires many hours of labor to remove and replace to get to certain things. Plus the headlight lens falls off and cost ALOT of money to replace which i have done twice now at $400 each lens assembly and its falling off again! Just a crappy car. My sister has a golf the transmission and engine are going. Other family members have toyota and honda and hey i have never seen a repair as stupid or as costly or as often as VW repairs are. Junkie cars and they say German engineering is the best HA

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  Do not buy! - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By HateTheReg - September 19 - 8:33 pm

  This was hands down the WORST vehicle I have ever owned. I have driven lots of cars and SUVs, and this one took the cake in bad performance. Its beautiful, especially when you are standing beside it waiting on Roadside Assit because its DEAD! After 5 alignments in 5 months, being completely dead/towed twice, I had enough. Dont get me started on all the electrical failures, warnings, Service calls, recalls and problems I endured in the 12 LONG months I drove this horrible vehicle. And VWoA is the WORST co. on earth, not caring that they are selling a useless vehicle to unsuspecting people. They do not respond to complaints, and have no intentions of standing behind their horrible vehicle.

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  Too Bad - 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Jerry - September 13 - 6:16 pm

  This was a fun car. But its low level of quality really stinks. Something was always broken. The bulbs for the headlight are impossible to change if the plastic mounting/locking device for the headlight assembly break (the dealer confirmed that was the case). 10,000 miles before the timing belt was due to be changed the tensioner broke destroying the engine. And because VW makes the engine mounting holes different for different models with the same engine you can not interchange them. This became a pricey repair ($7,000 before it was done). The airbag and a sensor both went bad. Several sensors went bad. It was a nightmare. I was very happy to get rid of it.

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  Worst Car - 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By lvazquez1watcx - September 11 - 4:55 pm

  I bought this car on June 2011. it had less than 90, 000 miles on it. few months after i bought it, the flap panels broke, headliner started falling apart and the inside began to deteriorate. when it hit 100,000 miles the transmission started acting up, the valve body ended up need replaced. the headlights and anything electrical really is always acting up. i got this car at the VW dealership and thought i was getting a good deal on it, but not even 2 years later and i have already put thousands of dollars into its repairs. I am a nursing student and this is probably the least reliable car you could own. Have filed a complaint with the BBB, but never received a response.