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Volkswagen Facts Every Car Salesman Should Know
With a rich and complex history, Volkswagen has left a definite mark on popular culture. So why not charm your customers with some fascinating Volkswagen facts?
What comes to mind when you think about German cars? Most likely quality, reliability and innovation — and Volkswagen has been synonymous with these for over half a century.
Here are some fun facts about the brand and its history.
A brief history of Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s history is long and eventful. So, let’s start with the basics. When and where was Volkswagen founded?
The company was established in 1937 in Wolfsburg, Germany, with a simple idea: to create a family car that even a regular working man could hope to save up for. That’s where its name comes from — Volkswagen means “the people’s car”.
The Rise and Fall of the Beetle according to the Business Insider
It was Ferdinand Porsche who designed the famous Volkswagen Type 1, then known as Käfer, today known as the Beetle.
After the war, with the help of the British, Volkswagen soon became the symbol of the German post-war economic miracle, and by 1955, a million Beetles were sold worldwide.
The company detected a need for a bigger vehicle, and another icon was born — the Bus, Volkswagen Type II.
The Volkswagen Bus defined the 60s, and even today, it is a symbol of the freedom of the era.
By the end of the decade, Volkswagen introduced a new generation of vehicles with the Passat and Golf.
They owe their success in part to abandoning the rear engine layout in favour of the front engine one.
The Golf soon overtook the Beetle as Volkswagen’s best-selling vehicle, and it is still the most widely purchased VW model of all time.
After two decades of Golf’s domination, the company again realised the nostalgic potential of the Beetle. However, with the Millennium fast approaching, this classic needed to be modernised.
The New Beetle went into production in 1997, sleeker and more fuel-efficient, but with a familiar curly shape.
Volkswagen was on top of the world, even briefly surpassing Toyota as the world’s best-selling car manufacturer.
After an emissions tests debacle threatened their reputation, Volkswagen bounced back by pledging to develop a quality electric vehicle, and delivered with the ID family of vehicles in 2020.
The 2010s also marked the end of an era, as the Beetle was finally discontinued in 2019.
What brands does Volkswagen own?
The Volkswagen group consists of ten brands divided into brand groups: ‘Core’, ‘Progressive’ and ‘Sport Luxury’.
The Core brands are:
- Volkswagen
- Volkswagen Commercial
- Škoda
- Seat
- Cupra
The intention with these brands is to offer sustainable, quality vehicles for a variety of needs at competitive prices. This is achieved through a streamlined production process that ensures consistency and efficiency.
The Progressives brands are:
- Audi
- Bentley
- Lamborghini
- Ducati
The brands in this category aim to provide a sophisticated, luxury driving experience through cutting-edge technology. We’ve already covered some fun facts about Audi on this blog, so be sure to check them out if you want to know more.
Finally, the Sport Luxury brand is Porsche.
Fun facts about Volkswagen
Volkswagen and its rich history have earned their place in contemporary pop culture, so here are some fun facts about the company.
Volkswagen Fun Fact #1: The design for the Volkswagen Beetle was inspired by Tatra
We mentioned earlier that it was Ferdinand Porsche who designed the iconic Beetle.
However, even he drew inspiration from other people’s work - most notably,18-year-old prodigy Bela Barenyi who worked for Mercedes, and Porsche’s one-time coworker Hans Ledwinka of Škoda Tatra.
Bela Barenyi is known today for coming up with important car safety features.
In 1925, Barenyi created designs for a people’s car that were remarkably similar to the original Beetle.
Bela Barenyi’s 1927 model resembles the future Beetle.
Source: The Autoplan
And although those designs were created a whole decade before the Beetle first went into production, in 1955, Volkswagen recognized Berenyi as the “intellectual father of the Beetle”.
Ledwinka went on to work for Tatra, where he developed models T87 and T97, which had an engine of 85hp and could reach 100 km/h.
The T97 directly inspired Volkswagen, and when the Beetle was unveiled, Tatra sued the company, but the court case was interrupted by World War II.
In 1965, Volkswagen paid Tatra 1,000,000 German Marks to settle the matter. Today, they acknowledge Ledwinka’s influence on their website.
Volkswagen Fun Fact #2: American Advertisers Came Up With The Name Beetle
In 1948, the Allies offered Ford to take over Volkswagen. However, chairman Henry Ford II refused, claiming he didn’t see any value in the company. And indeed, sales in the US stalled for years because of Volkswagen’s ties to the defeated regime.
Because of this, in 1959 the company hired American advertiser Doyle Dane Bernbach to revamp the company’s image. It was Bernbach who came up with the name - the Beetle.
It was one of the most successful revamps in history, and the Beetle exploded in the US market under the slogan “It’s a member of the family.”
However, it wasn’t until 1963, when Disney released a movie called The Love Bug, about a sentient Beetle called Herbie, that the company truly made the company popular in the United States, and then globally.
In fact, the iconic Herbie paint job with the number 53 remains one the most popular in the United States for this type of car.
Volkswagen Fun Fact #3: Volkswagen Used to Give Savings Bonds To Babies
Babies born in Beetles used to receive savings bonds from Volkswagen.
Since the 1960s, if parents could prove that their child was born inside a Volkswagen Beetle, the company would gift the baby with $300 in savings bonds. According to the Orlando Sentinel, some 400 babies were given those bonds between 1964 and 1988.
The company no longer does that – but the Stifftungs Automuseum does offer birth certificates for Beetles themselves, as a way to encourage owners to learn more about their vehicles.
Volkswagen Fun Fact #4: The Most Sold Volkswagen Part Is A Sausage
Since 1973, Volkswagen has been producing a Volkswagen currywurst sausage in its Wolfsburg factory, which is also where most of its cars have been assembled since the company opened.
The sausage is branded as Volkswagen’s original part, under the number 199 398 500 A. It is optionally accompanied by ketchup, or Volkswagen Original part 199 398 500 B.
Served in the company’s 6 restaurants, and sold on football stadiums, in 2019, 7 million Volkswagen sausages were sold, which is more than cars themselves.
Volkswagen Fun Fact 5: Volkswagen Sold Bugatti to Rimac in 2021
Volkswagen released the controlling share of Bugatti to Rimac Group in 2021, while the remaining shares belong to Porsche, under the Volkswagen umbrella.
Bugatti is undeniably synonymous with luxury with a price tag of up to $15 million dollars.
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is even lauded as the fastest car in the world.
However, did you know that Volkswagen lost 5 million dollars for each Bugatti Veyron Supersport it produces, due to its development costs, and the fact that only 50 vehicles are sold every year?
Most popular Volkswagen models
Volkswagen consistently ranks among the top-selling car manufacturers worldwide, and there’s more to the brand than just the Beetle.
Here are some of the most popular models at the moment.
Tiguan and T-Roc
Tiguan is Volkswagen’s current global bestseller. Its name is a departure from the company’s tradition of naming vehicles after winds (like Passat or Scirocco) and sea currents (like Golf or Jetta), and instead represents a combination of “tiger” and “iguana”. It was chosen via a competition in the German automotive magazine AutoBild.
However, the T-Roc, introduced in 2017, seems to be catching up to Tiguan in the European market.
They are both SUVs, but where the T-Roc is more compact and sporty, the Tiguan offers a larger interior, and even a third row of seats in some variants.
Tiguan’s engines go up to 320hp, whereas T-Roc offers high-powered engines with 300hp, as well as 3-cylinder ones on the other end of the spectrum.
Both the Tiguan and the T-Roc have state-of-the-art technology and safety features, so the choice of vehicle will depend on the buyers’ needs.
Still, the T-Roc tends to be more suitable for environments that require easier maneuverability, whereas the Tiguan is closer to a classic SUV, which is reflected in its typically higher price point.
Polo
Volkswagen Polo was introduced as early as the mid-1970s, with its original body derived from the Audi 50. It soon gained popularity for its compactness and reliability.
Since then, there have been six generations of the vehicle, each improving in safety and tech features.
Recent generations of the Polo have received particular praise for their infotainment systems, as well as their navigation and driver assistance solutions.
Passat
With global sales of 490,000 units in 2023 alone, the Passat is Volkswagen’s second most widely purchased vehicle globally. It’s been on the market since the early 70s, and it was the first to introduce the water-cooled engine that is now the industry standard.
The spacious and comfortable midsize vehicle is intended for longer distances, which is why it boasts an engine of 174 hp. It usually comes as a sedan and an estate, but the model’s most recent, 8th generation, is available only in the estate version.
The Passat is somewhat pricier than the Golf, but its practicality tends to justify the higher price point. The Passat is also often singled out as the best Volkswagen model to buy used.
Second-Hand Volkswagen Cars Available on eCarstrade
Reliable, fuel-efficient, safe, and sturdy, Volkswagen cars are a great investment even when they’re second-hand.
If you want to boost your used car fleet with some of Volkswagen’s models, you’ve come to the right place.
eCarstrade is one of the best places to source used cars, where you can find auctions of vehicles that used to be leased or rented, which guarantees that they’re in excellent condition.
Bids in open auctions cannot be cancelled.
eCarsTrade offers online auto auctions of ex-lease vehicles from France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, with a complete maintenance history. We guarantee high quality of our vehicles, and a fast, simple and transparent purchasing process with fixed commission costs. We work with both European and international used car dealers and traders. Your dedicated Account manager is your personal support for any questions or issues!
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