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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  Yikes - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By chris72 - January 20 - 7:23 am

  I bought my Jetta wagon. Had fun purchasing and driving it. Left the dealership with 25 miles on it. 12 days later, at 540 miles the car beeped, red light flashed, air conditioning blew hot air. The needle on the temp gauge went to 260! all the way to the right. VW road service came. Towed the car to dealer. Needless to say, the thrill of the new car is gone, and doubt has set in. Until then I loved the car. Now I worry about reliability and high repair costs after warranty wears out. Dealer handling it well, just a disappointment to me that the car had problems before I even got my license plates.

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  Pretty Good. - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Cali to Mass - January 19 - 1:46 pm

  As my first real car, I lived in Orange County and bought it @ 66,000 miles Certified. Two car accidents. One cross country trip from California to Boston. One winter later it has 105,000 miles on it! GULP! But its fared pretty well. Ive had a few minor electrical issues, and an engine leak but after the terrible VW Customer service honored everything it was alright. After putting over 105k miles on a 5 year old car it still coasts the highways SO SMOOOOTHLY. I need brakes done shortly, first time since 66,000 miles. Just got my timing belt done and ready for more. Good Car considering everything Ive done to the poor thing.

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  Great commuter! - 1999 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bicicleta - January 19 - 10:00 am

  Love this car so far.... 10K miles @ 50 mpg... commuting at speeds to 80. Plenty of power - cant believe this engine hasnt gotten more press. Wish theyd import the Passat diesel again. The Jetta is just a little small for my two 6 tall sons.

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  shaking while at high speed - 2007 Volkswagen Passat
  By passatvw - January 19 - 3:40 am

  I owned Volkswagen 2006 jetta it was shaking so I traded it for 2007 passat it driving me crazy I had new tires and balance done but car shakes stearing wheel its not shaking but whole car does, I think for new car it wasnt supposed to shake, it feel like hitting car jumping as soon as it gets to 40 mph, ,can anyone tell me if it has same problem with volkwagen, overall car starts fast like hell, and when I put cd in I wait for ever to start, it doesnt start in 20 min or more, ,and dash board sounds so annoying, like, it fallin apart, let me know if this is normal for Volkswagen since both jetta and passat shake while driving, jetta had good cd player,

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  nice car - with a few flaws - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Riko - January 15 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for 12000 miles, bought it with 30000 on the engine. I bought this car with 30000 miles on it and have put 12000 on it. My last oil change was 6000 miles ago and still hasnt burned oil. Still full on the dipstick. (I never torque the engine until its nice and warm, I dont know if that helps but it doesnt hurt.) Plenty of zing on the highway. Front window regulator quit so dealer replaced both front ones for good measure at no charge for either. Only complaints are electrical - Lower dash lights for heater controls quit working, and AM radio reception spotty.

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  Passats are the Lemons of VW - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By The Madman - January 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive purchased my 2002 Passat in Nov. 2001. I loved the car "So i thought". the first week i had the car, one of the Headlights went out, 2 weeks later the fog lights went too, and more surprizes every month until last week when the ENG, EPC, and ASR light would all come on at the same time and the car would spuders,chokes, and stalls in the middle of traffic and had to restart it. The car has been at the Dealer ships garage for four and still have no answer on whats causing the problem and how to go about repairing it. - suggestion to everyone -- Stay away if you can and buy the real thing, Audi, BMW, or Mercedes if youre in the market for a German car.

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  Not the car they used to be - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bpamps - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I purchased a VW Wolfsburg back in 2001 after a very good experience with an older Jetta. The 2001 Jetta has been nothing but problems. Nother major went out but very soon after the 2 year warrenty expired my cruise control went out, mechanical problems, breaks went out, not to mention a recall that fixed a problem. When I got my breaks fixed I asked why they went out so soon. The mechanic said when the vehicle was assembled, the breaks were not put in right. As far as the cruise control, I was told that it was a junk part that was assembled (but I still needed to pay for it because it was not under warrenty).

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  Fast Fun Trouble - 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By kate_9999 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  Love the ride...its a zippy little car and fun to drive, but Im selling it as soon as possible. Its out of warranty and given the amount of problems that occurred within the warranty Im not willing to risk my pocket book any further. Problems...headlights going out (cost $80 to replace), gas cap door broken 3 times, ignition key broken 2 times, rear brakes needed to be replaced at 20K...get real I dont ride the break, A/C problem $900 for a new fan, several recalls, hatch never worked correctly, service slow and youre waiting a month. Dont buy this car its fun but not worth the hassle.

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  jetta could be betta - 2004 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bluehammer66 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  do not like the lack of power to accelerate,honda civics,dodge neons and other cars constantly out accerate me and are always on my rear.1st gear is too low. center console rubs my right leg. had many problems with a/c making noise, after three times in the dealer still not fixed. bought used with only 8,000 miles on it. uses oil, must add 1qt per month, plus if battery dies, you must tow it to vw to fix. you cannot change it yourself. computer will lose memory, and must be reprogrammed by dearler. a $40 charge. not to mention the tow, and battery, oh yeah, and the labor.

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  Great Car for the money!! - 2005 Volkswagen GTI
  By V-Dub - January 9 - 12:10 pm

  This is my first brand new car, and my second VW. After driving a host of Japanese, American, German etc., etc., and after owning a MKIII Golf, this GTI is AWESOME! The power is definately more than adequate, the ergonomics are great, and is a kick in the pants to drive. This is my commuter car so I am in it daily and absolutely love to drive the 30 minute comute in the morning because I get to drive this car!!