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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  Love my Jetta - 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
  By knjvic - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I love my Jetta. I just wish the Wolfsburg came with leather. The only things I would change about my car would be the cup holders (had a full soda fly out on a turn ALL over the passenger side), more rear passenger room, and leather. Hated the Monsoon sound system it came with, changed it out. I am seriously considering buying a 2005 GLI Jetta when my lease is up in 2005, for the leather, but not sure how I will like it without the turbo.

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  Great Reliable Car - 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By VWfan - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I saw all of the problems others were having and felt compelled to speak up. My experience with this car has been fantastic, a few small problems, but nothing to put the car out of service for more than a day and nothing requiring a tow. The car is fun to drive, has way more leg and head room than any other in its class, and is good on the pocket book. All these people that have problems have failed to mention the standard 4 year 50000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. The car is well designed and the company stands behind their product, not sure what else you could ask for.

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  FUN CAR!! - 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
  By keithk75 - October 11 - 6:46 pm

  The car is a great car for the money! It is also a great car to throw around, handles like a dream. I went to the VW dealer with the intend of buying a used A4. So far Im not regretting the decision to by a new Jetta when it comes time to make the monthly payment. I would think the gas mileage for this size of car should be better. But the gas mileage is coming in as advertised (plus its too much fun driving this car with a heavy foot).

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  First time Vdub man - 2007 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Dave - October 11 - 11:20 am

  After several American and one Japanese car this is my first European sedan and so far I couldnt be happier. Handling is great city or highway driving. Steering makes parallel parking a breeze. While the acceleration off the line is average, passing on the highway is easy. You wont get the gas mileage of a Civic or Corolla, but the Jetta is not terrible either. Im getting about 29 mpg on the highway and with all the standard features and quality of the interior, Ill take the Jetta anyday.

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  great car - 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton
  By great - October 8 - 8:33 am

  There is only one problem with this car: Every time you turn the car on you have to go into "economy" and turn off rear air conditioning. Do the Germans always drive with backseat passengers? Overall nicer than an Audi A8L even when the Phaeton is stock.

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  Fun to own - 2007 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Gabriel Lopez - October 7 - 12:26 am

  Car handles like it costs in the 30,000 mark, offers standard equipmant when others put it at extra cost, interior finally better laid out after all these years!

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  Not that bad - 2000 Volkswagen Jetta
  By dino424 - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Ive had various minor problems...The check engine light (which they discovered a faulty emmissions sensor). However its the minor things that plague my car. The front panels located below the headlights have disappeared, the cup holder, the arm rest and glove compartment broke. I did purchase the extended warrinty with Auto guard and everything was paid for. The only thing I had to pay for was new brakes.

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  The best SUV for the money - 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
  By Siggi - October 6 - 10:00 am

  One of the best SUVs on the market for the money at the present time.

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  Sweet ride, excellent value - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By swede - October 6 - 10:00 am

  We compared the Honda Accord and the Nissan Altima before deciding on the Passat. In almost every aspect, the Passat beat out the other two. Comfort and safety ranked high on our list of priorities, but when you can get that AND the pleasure of driving a VW (which Honda and Nissan simply cannot copy), it was a simple choice. With 1.9% financing AND $1000 in loyalty bonus, PLUS a dealer incentive of $1500, the 2003 Passat is a fantastic value for the money. With all the standard features of the GLS, we feel like we just stole a luxury car... Put all those features in an Altima, and watch that low base price shoot through the roof.

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  2003 VW PASSAT GLX SEDANS KICK ASS AT 150mph too - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By H. Woodruff - October 6 - 6:20 am

  If youre looking for a car that has lots of acceleration, great braking, awesome handling, and loaded with 6 or more air bags, with a large trunk and seats that also fold down, this is the car for you. It loves rain storms, not sure about snow, i live in California. It gets great gas mileage 18 city and about 22 to 26mpg hwy depending if you drive the speed limit or not, i always obey the law. hahahaa. If you like driving to Las Vegas and end up with $18 to get home with, at 260 miles away from home, this is the car for you. It has a 5 speed automatic transmission that shifts so smooth you dont even feel it shift gears. It also has a manual shift that lets you shift it incase that corvette next to you (thinks) hes going to embarrass you in a race that he loses. The car is awesome, great looking, and knows how to handle business, my car has 122k miles and still runs and drives like its brand new. Buy the car...you wont be dissappointed, i have had many great offers over $5000 for it, no way im selling it though. VW kicked ass when they built this machine .