Like every other German automobile brand, Volkswagen is also a well-known automobile brand that manufacturers a wide range of vehicles. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front, the brand is headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, and sells vehicles in almost 153 countries around the world.
Volkswagen “Group”
The company Volkswagen comes under the Volkswagen Group which also has some famous brands such as Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Lamborghini, Skoda, Ducati, etc. under its umbrella.
Having built vehicles for the Military and quite a few for civilians (People’s Car), the company has now come a long way from 1937 to delivering Fully Electric vehicles and has also been exploring possibilities in the field of flying cars.
Beetle has been the largest-selling vehicle of Volkswagen and it is still produced by the company with different specifications. Apart from the Beetle, Polo is one of the most liked cars of the Volkswagen cadre.
Volkswagen started with Internal Combustion engine-operated vehicles which it still sells all around the world and China has been the biggest market for them with a 40% share of its sales.
Flex-fuel Operated Vehicles
Keeping oil prices and the oil crisis in mind, the company started manufacturing vehicles that operated on flex-fuel(Ethanol) but later on, the sales went down due to the reduction in oil prices. Again in 2003, the company started delivering flexible-fuel-operated vehicles in Brazil that used a blend of petrol and ethanol as a fuel.
Keeping the drawbacks of Flexible-Fuel operating vehicles and the Environmental effects of ICE vehicles in mind, Volkswagen teamed up with Sanyo(a Japanese Electronics company) to build Hybrid Vehicles.
Electric Cars since 1970
Originally Volkswagen started its journey of building its electric cars in 1970 and developed many Hybrid and Electric Vehicles but they didn’t get much attention like the electric vehicles are getting nowadays.
When Lithium-ion batteries started gaining traction, a lot of Vehicle manufacturers started tinkering with Li-ion batteries to make Electric vehicles. Volkswagen also displayed the NILS concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show which was a futuristic-looking vehicle.
With a range of about 40 miles from a 5.3-kWh battery pack, the NILS could get to 60 mph in about 11 seconds and took approximately two hours to recharge.
e-Golf- the Pure EV
After this in 2013, Volkswagen produced their first purely electric vehicle named the e-Golf which delivered 83 miles of range at launch.
Equipped with quick charging technology (CCS), its 24.2-kWh lithium-ion battery could be charged up to 80% in about 20 minutes. Later models of this vehicle made further improvements and offered an EPA-estimated 125 miles of range.
As of now, Volkswagen delivers multiple Electric vehicles with different specifications, and also the Volkswagen group has a plethora of EVs on offer under different brands. Apart from building EVs and Hybrid vehicles, the company is also indulged in Formula Racing, Rally Championships, and other Motorsport events.
Volkswagen Company Profile
| Founded in: | 1937 |
| Owner Company: | Volkswagen |
| Main Headquarter: | Germany |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Manufacturer of: | Four Wheelers |
| Communication: | Official Website |
