Search Results for"History"

#TBT – The rich history of Volkswagen’s Puebla plant

As one of the largest vehicle producers on the planet, it may be no surprise to learn that there are 16 Volkswagen brand plants in operation today. One of the longest-running plants is located in Puebla, Mexico. Volkswagen de México headquarters was established in Puebla in 1964. In 1965, the company began the search for a new production site and began building the plant that year. Construction of the plant completed in July 1967 and the first car—the iconic Beetle—rolled off the line in Oct

#TBT: Volkswagen’s Guinness World Record-breaking history

It’s not easy to make it into the Guinness World Records book. With over 50,000 applications from aspiring record-breakers each year, it can be a competitive field — especially in transportation, where records can come down to a millisecond.   At Volkswagen, we know a thing or two about breaking records. To celebrate Guinness World Records Day, we are looking back at nine times Volkswagen and its fans have advanced the auto industry and earned a place in Guinness World Records history.

How plaid became part of Volkswagen Golf GTI history

No car has a claim to fame on a day to celebrate all things plaid quite like the Volkswagen Golf GTI – thanks to one woman’s pioneering choices that over the past four decades have become a symbol of driving enthusiasts worldwide. The Volkswagen Golf GTI’s debut in 1976 caused a sensation. Even though only a few details distinguished it visually from the original Golf, Volkswagen—influenced by one of the company’s first female designers—succeeded in transforming the compact car into an af

#TBT: History of the Volkswagen Passat in the U.S.

  Most Volkswagen fans think that the Golf is currently the longest-lived Volkswagen nameplate, but that honor actually belongs to the Passat, which went on sale a year before the Golf in Europe, in 1973. Based on the Audi 80, the Passat was initially sold in two- and four-door fastback sedan and three- and five-door hatchback form, with a wagon joining one year later. In the U.S., the Passat was marketed as the Dasher, and sold in all three versions from 1974. More than 222,000 w

#TBT: The history of the Beetle’s bud vase

To understand how a small German sedan came to represent the “flower power” generation, maybe it’s because no vehicle was as known for floral displays quite like the Beetle and its dashboard bud vase. The porcelain “blumenvasen” first appeared in the U.S. as an optional dealer accessory in the 1950s. Many of the bud vases were produced by high-end German porcelain manufacturers and could be clipped to the car’s dashboard, speaker grille or windshield. This provided owners with the opportu

On National Name Your Car Day, the history of Volkswagen names

Naming a new model takes a surprising amount of effort. Here are the derivations on some of Volkswagen’s iconic model names, from Atlas to up! and beyond.

Know Your VW: GTI History

Trust is good, control is better.

Car buyers increasingly are buying used and Certified Pre-Owned vehicles. WorldAuto Certified Pre-Owned helps take the worry out of purchasing a vehicle that isn’t new.

Volkswagen’s old curiosity shop

Go behind the scenes in VW’s own warehouse of rare and remarkable cars

#TBT: 1987 Volkswagen Golf Twin-Engine Pikes Peak car

No motorsports event carries quite the challenge or history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. First completed in 1916, and run nearly every year since, Pikes Peak has become synonymous with masterful drivers and brutal machines able to speed up the 12-mile, 156-curve route, where one mistake can lead to a dangerous lesson in gravity. In the 1980s, Pikes Peak was the second home of the Group B rally cars – turbocharged monsters of road and gravel rallying. And it was a top target for