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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  Great car but dont expect perfection - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Erin - December 7 - 8:33 pm

  I have been driving my Beetle for about four months now and love it. It is my only car and has been great even on roadtrips, less then 500 miles. It is a little jumpy when you give it gas but has good pick up. The only problem I had was the front blinker coming out and the door molding popping up. BUT I was forewarned by reading up on the car before purchased so I wasnt too surprised. So dont expect a perfect car with great quality. I too had bad service at the VW dealer, not purchased from, and hope I dont need to go back anytime soon. The top down rocks and the little features make up for the cheesy interior. I am SO glad I didnt purchase an everyday Sebring. this car is great to drive does not have great quality.

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  I might be unlucky... - 2001 Volkswagen Passat
  By UnluckyWithPassat - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I might be unlucky with this car... My Passat became a whole trouble starting right after the first oil change: for those two and a half years that I owned it, I fixed about 10 different defects under warranty and from my pocket. Plus not yet fixed but persisting problem with rough idle and vibration. So, I decided to get rid from it untill the problems get worse because for $26000 I could have anticipated something more reliable...

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  Great CAr - 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
  By edaniel - December 7 - 2:00 am

  My TDI has performed flawlessly over the last 3 months. The ride is sporty and the mileage is nearly as good as a Toyota Prius. I give this a strong recommendation!

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  Good - 2013 Volkswagen Passat
  By Neeraj kumar - December 6 - 12:37 am

  Over all good car

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  none - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By armen - December 5 - 10:00 am

  all ican say that ireplacedE320 for passat glxV6 and idont miss anythig .its the best car for the mony!!

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  Well See - 2002 Volkswagen GTI
  By Jae - December 5 - 10:00 am

  2002 GTI fully loaded. Problems from the day one. The "Brake" light blinks with warning sound randomly. I first took it to Gilboy VW in Allentown didnt do anything and when I told them problem didnt go away they didnt even asked me to bring the car back. They really sucked in service. They even messed up my radio treble knob. it was keep coming off I told them to fix and all they did was glue them back together and not alighned. I took it to Lehigh Valley VW twice and first they topped off brake fluid. problem still persist.. Second time they adjusted parking brake switch. no Its been almost a week.. Ill have to see if the problme ever come back.

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  Transmission is a disappointment - 2017 Volkswagen Passat
  By Mike Gordon - December 3 - 10:22 pm

  A decent car except for the Japanese automatic transmission. I owned a 2009 and 2015 Jetta TDI with the DSG transmission and am extremely disappointed with the transmission in the 2017 Passat SE. The upshift from 3 to 4 and the downshift from 5 to 4 are jerky and noisy, unlike the DSG transmission of my two previous Jettas. The jerk and noise is especially noticeable when driving normally at the speed limits in small towns but not noticeable when accelerating more aggressively with the gas peddle when getting up to highway speed. I would not buy this car if you love the smoothness of the DSG transmission in prior VW models. None of the Passat SE models had DSG when I was buying and I did not notice the difference when test driving, so I bought the car assuming that the 6-speed automatic Japanese transmission would be OK. I was wrong. The other minor annoyance is this car does not have park assist (which I dont care about) but I frequently get a notification on the screen that there is no park assist. Why would I want to know this when I dont have it? I will be trading in this car when VW decides to add DSG to the Passat SE line. The only model that has DSG at this time is the gas guzzling Passat SEL and the tradeoff isnt worth paying royalties to oil companies that have inflated prices at a time of historically low demand for fuel.

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  Its great, but... - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Mikeyg - December 2 - 10:00 am

  Two days after I picked up my Jetta, the battery light was on. I took her in, and was told the alternator was already bad... Four days after that my fuel gauge was screwing up, so I took her on in once more. This time I was told the fuel sender was bad, that was replaced. Currently the low gas light is broken. I havent gotten around to getting that checked out yet. I love the car and all, but really didnt expect this outta a VW. Owned a 2003 Beetle also, and LOVED it!

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  Like Getting Your Car Repaired? - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By Kimberly Willey - December 1 - 2:26 am

  I bought this car thinking it would be an affordable reliable luxury sedan. The interior and exterior styling is something you would see in more expensive cars, for less. But what we have encountered is endless problems with the electronic systems and poor customer service from the manufacturers and dealers. The car has been in the shop three times for repairs in less then four months with so far nine days and counting loss of use. With this last incident, the car had to actually be towed to the dealership for service. If you want a reliable quality vehicle-keep shopping!

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  Fair, but fun to drive! - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Bob The One - December 1 - 2:00 am

  This car has been un to drive, and we got a killer deal on e-bay for it. But the engine light came on at about 32,000 miles and it has minor mechanical problems from time to time. But it sure is a cute car, and my wife loves to drive it.