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97-894: The name Autostick has been used for a Volkswagen semi-automatic transmission , which is a vacuum -operated automatic clutch system, coupled with a conventional 3-speed manual transmission . The "AutoStick" system designed by Chrysler allows for manual selection of gears with a standard hydraulic automatic transmission , also known as a manumatic . The Autostick systems used by Volkswagen and Chrysler are unrelated, not mechanically similar in their operation, and do not share any similarities with their internal design and build. The manumatic transmission systems are variously described or marketed under names that including "e-stick", "shift-command", "steptronic", and "geartronic". Manufacturers increasingly offer electronically-controlled automatic transmissions that provide drivers with an ability to shift gears on their own. The objective of these systems

194-456: A "Super Beetle" (the Type 131) to its lineup in 1971. The Type 131 differed from the standard Beetle in its use of a MacPherson strut front suspension instead of the usual torsion bars . The Super Beetle featured a new hooded, padded dash and curved windshield (from 1973 model year on up). Rack and pinion steering replaced recirculating ball steering gears in the model year 1975 and up. The front of

291-672: A "political animal" rather than a commercial enterprise—technically making it liable for destruction under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement —the equipment could have been salvaged as war reparations . Allied dismantling policy changed in late 1946 to mid-1947, though heavy industry continued to be dismantled until 1951. One of the factory's wartime 'KdF-Wagen' cars had been taken to the factory for repairs and abandoned there. Hirst had it repainted green and demonstrated it to British Army headquarters. Short of light transport, in September 1945

388-783: A black, green, and sand colour (3) 11GS, a chestnut brown and two azure blue, (2) 24A-M51 in red, (1) 21A in blue, (1) 23A in blue, (1) 22A beige colour, and one ambulance. Volkswagens were seen in Canada for the first time at the Canadian National Exhibition in August 1952 and were accepted enthusiastically. (At least one Type 2 bus from this order still exists, and is currently in France undergoing restoration). The first shipment for Volkswagen Canada reached Toronto in early December 1952. (At least one Type 1 from this first shipment still exists, and

485-521: A bloody fool, young man." The official report said: "To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise." Ford representatives were equally critical. In March 1948, the British offered the Volkswagen company to Ford, free of charge. Henry Ford II , the son of Edsel Ford , travelled to West Germany for discussions. Heinz Nordhoff was also present, as well as Ernest Breech, chairman of

582-419: A car for only 990 ℛ︁ℳ︁. Thus, Hitler chose to sponsor an all-new, state-owned factory using Ferdinand Porsche's design (with some of Hitler's design suggestions, including an air-cooled engine so nothing could freeze). The intention was that German families could buy the car through a savings scheme ( " Fünf Mark die Woche musst du sparen, willst du im eigenen Wagen fahren " – "Five Marks

679-430: A car, and prefer other modes of transport. Other potentially powerful automotive markets are Iran and Indonesia . Emerging automobile markets already buy more cars than established markets. According to a J.D. Power study, emerging markets accounted for 51 percent of the global light-vehicle sales in 2010. The study, performed in 2010 expected this trend to accelerate. However, more recent reports (2012) confirmed

776-555: A car. Seeking a potential new market, some car makers began independent "people's car" projects – the Mercedes 170H , BMW 3/15 , Adler AutoBahn , Steyr 55 and Hanomag 1.3L, among others. The growing trend was not nascent; Béla Barényi , a pioneering automotive engineer, is credited as already having conceived the basic design during the mid-1920s. Josef Ganz developed the Standard Superior (going as far as advertising it as

873-400: A certificate of authenticity presented to the original purchaser. Dealer-installed options for this limited-edition Superbeetle included the following: white stripes running the length of the rocker-panel, a special shifter knob, bumper overriders, tapered exhaust tips, fake walnut inserts in the dashboard (behind the steering wheel and the glovebox cover) as well as Bosch fog lights mounted on

970-579: A credit of 12% off the list price of a new VW base model or 5-times less the value paid into the saving scheme. Prototypes of the car called the KdF-Wagen (from the German term Kraft durch Freude , meaning " Strength Through Joy ") appeared from 1938 onwards. The first cars had been produced in Stuttgart . The car already had its distinctive round shape and air-cooled , flat-four , rear-mounted engine . The VW car

1067-504: A former senior manager at Opel who had overseen civilian and military vehicle production in the 1930s and 1940s, was recruited to run the factory in 1948. In 1949, Major Hirst left the company—now re-formed as a trust controlled by the West German government and government of the State of Lower Saxony . The "Beetle" sedan or "peoples' car" Volkswagen is the Type 1. Apart from the introduction of

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1164-437: A fully-independent rear suspension that debuted in August 1968 for the 1969 model year. VW ended Autostick production with the 1976 model year. Chrysler developed an automatic transmission with electronic transaxle controls in that had an Autostick mode providing more aggressive shifting between gears when there was increased throttle. "Essentially a driver-interactive automatic transmission that offers gear-shifting capability"

1261-544: A group of major car manufacturers including GM , Ford , Volvo , BYD Auto , Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz committed to "work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets". Major car manufacturing nations like the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Volkswagen , Toyota , Peugeot , Honda , Nissan and Hyundai , did not pledge. The global automotive industry

1358-535: A growing reputation for reliability helped production figures surpass the levels of the previous record-holder, the Ford Model T . On 17 February 1972, the 15,007,034th Beetle was sold. Volkswagen could now claim the world production record for the most-produced, single make of car in history. By 1973, total production was over 16 million. To commemorate its passing the Ford Model T's record sales mark and its victories in

1455-508: A manufacturer interested in a small car suitable for a family. He built a car named the "Volksauto" from the ground up in 1933, using many popular ideas and several of his own, putting together a car with an air-cooled rear engine , torsion bar suspension , and a "beetle" shape, the front bonnet rounded for better aerodynamics (necessary as it had a small engine). In 1934, with many of the above projects still in development or early stages of production, Adolf Hitler became involved, ordering

1552-572: A market sector already being dominated by the Fiat 127 and Renault 5 , and which before long would also include the Austin Metro and Ford Fiesta . In 1981, the second-generation Polo launched as a hatchback (resembling a small estate car). In 1983 the range was expanded, with the introduction of a Coupe (similar to a conventional hatchback), and the Classic (a 2-door saloon). The Polo's practicality, despite

1649-521: A plant near São Paulo in Brazil. Volkswagen do Brasil was accused of spying on workers during the time of the military dictatorship in the 1970s and informing police on oppositional activities. In 1976, mass arrests occurred and some VW employees were tortured. In 1979, Brazilian VW workers travelled to Wolfsburg to inform the CEO in person. In 2015, activists and former VW employees in Brazil spoke out in public accused

1746-703: A resemblance to the original Beetle, based on the platform of the Polo. Due to a positive response to the concept, a production version was developed as the New Beetle , based on the Golf's larger platform. In 1995 the Sharan was launched in Europe, the result of a joint venture with Ford , which also resulted in the Ford Galaxy and SEAT Alhambra . The company's evolution of its model range

1843-461: A specific gear 1, 2, or 3 until another gear is selected by the up/down switch, the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and Autostick forces a shift to 1st gear, Autostick operation is canceled by selecting 4th gear, aka D, or Autostick is disengaged by moving the PRNDL. The service manual explains that Autostick signaling is multiplexed on a single wire. The transmission control module outputs a 5v signal to

1940-493: A top producer 1950s : United Kingdom, Germany, and France restarted production. 1960s : Japan started production and increased volume through the 1980s. United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom produced about 80% of motor vehicles through the 1980s. 1990s : South Korea became a volume producer. In 2004, Korea became No. 5 passing France. 2000s : China increased its production drastically, and became

2037-410: A week you must set aside, if in your own car you wish to ride "), which around 336,000 people eventually paid into. However, the project was not commercially viable, and only government support was able to keep it afloat. Due to the outbreak of war in 1939, none of the participants in the savings scheme ever received a car. In 1950, a lawsuit was issued that, after 12 years of trial, ultimately provided

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2134-643: Is a major consumer of water. Some estimates surpass 180,000 L (39,000 imp gal) of water per car manufactured, depending on whether tyre production is included. Production processes that use a significant volume of water include surface treatment, painting, coating, washing, cooling, air-conditioning, and boilers, not counting component manufacturing. Paintshop operations consume especially large amounts of water because equipment running on water-based products must also be cleaned with water. In 2022, Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg ran into legal challenges due to droughts and falling groundwater levels in

2231-463: Is a primary mode of transportation for many developed economies. The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicted that, by 2014, one-third of world demand would be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Meanwhile, in developed countries, the automotive industry has slowed. It is also expected that this trend will continue, especially as the younger generations of people (in highly urbanized countries) no longer want to own

2328-497: Is to provide a sportier, more driver-focused feel. They combine the convenience of an automatic with the ability for the driver to have an increased degree of control in gear selection process. Due to modern automatic transmissions becoming almost as efficient and responsive, cars with fully manual transmissions are less in demand. Marketed as the Volkswagen Automatic Stickshift , the three-speed manual transmission

2425-492: Is today after World War II by British Army officer Ivan Hirst . The company is well known for its iconic Beetle and serves as the flagship marque of the Volkswagen Group , which became the world's largest automotive manufacturer by global sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's largest market is China (including Hong Kong and Macau ), which accounts for 40% of its sales and profits. The name "Volkswagen" derives from

2522-414: Is usually found. When selected the current gear ratio is not changed, the "Autostick" indicator illuminates in the instrument cluster, the numbers 3 2 1 illuminate to the right of D, and a square appears around the gear currently engaged, D 3 2 or 1. The button on the end of the handle is used to engage/disengage overdrive lockout, the same function as selecting L when not equipped with Autostick. When engaged

2619-462: The PSA Group had been in the top 8 1999 to 2012, and 2007 to 2012 one of the eight largest along with the seven largest as of 2017) and the five largest in the top 5 positions since 2007, according to OICA, which, however, stopped publishing statistics of motor vehicle production by manufacturer after 2017. All ten remained as the ten largest automakers by sales until the merger between Fiat-Chrysler and

2716-555: The Scirocco followed. The coupe was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro . Based on the platform of the not yet released Golf , it was built at Karmann due to capacity constraints at Volkswagen. The pivotal model emerged as the Volkswagen Golf in 1974, marketed in the United States and Canada as the Rabbit for the 1st generation (1975–1985) and 5th generation (2006–2009). Its angular styling

2813-551: The United States led the world in total automobile production, with the U.S. Big Three General Motors , Ford Motor Company , and Chrysler being the world's three largest auto manufacturers for a time, and G.M. and Ford remaining the two largest until the mid-2000s. In 1929, before the Great Depression , the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, of which the U.S. automobile enterprises produced more than 90%. At that time,

2910-556: The United States armed forces and subsequently handed over to the British, within whose occupation zone the town and factory fell. The factory was placed under the control of British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst , REME , a civilian Military Governor with the occupying forces. At first, one plan was to use it for military vehicle maintenance, and possibly dismantle and ship it to Britain. Since it had been used for military production, (though not of KdF-Wagens) and had been in Hirst's words,

3007-695: The Volkswagen Polo followed. It was a re-badged Audi 50 , which was soon discontinued in 1978. The Polo became the base of the Volkswagen Derby , which was introduced in 1977. The Derby was for all intents and purposes a three-box design of the Polo. After a second model generation, the Derby was discontinued in 1985, although the body style lived on in the form of the Polo classic/Polo saloon until 1991. Passat, Scirocco, Golf, and Polo shared many character-defining features, as well as parts and engines. They built

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3104-663: The Volkswagen Type 2 commercial vehicle (van, pick-up, and camper), and the VW Karmann Ghia sports car, Nordhoff pursued the one-model policy until shortly before his death in 1968. Volkswagens were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949 but sold only two units in America that first year. On entry to the US market, the VW was briefly sold as a Victory Wagon . Volkswagen of America

3201-760: The amphibious Schwimmwagen —manufactured for German forces. One of the first foreigners to drive a Volkswagen was the American war correspondent Ernie Pyle , who had the use of a captured Volkswagen for a few days after the Allied victory in Tunisia in May 1943. As was common with much of the production in Nazi Germany during the war, slave labour was utilised in the Volkswagen plant, e.g. from Arbeitsdorf concentration camp. The company would admit in 1998 that it used 15,000 slaves during

3298-417: The horseless carriage . Early car manufacturing involved manual assembly by a human worker. The process evolved from engineers working on a stationary car, to a conveyor belt system where the car passed through multiple stations of more specialized engineers. Starting in the 1960s, robotic equipment was introduced to the process, and most cars are now mainly assembled by automated machinery. For many decades,

3395-485: The value chain are made to avoid these product recalls by ensuring end-user security and safety and compliance with the automotive industry requirements. However, the automotive industry is still particularly concerned about product recalls, which cause considerable financial consequences. In 2007, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, consuming over 980 billion litres (980,000,000 m ) of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The automobile

3492-551: The "German Volkswagen"). In Germany, the company Hanomag mass-produced the 2/10 PS "Kommissbrot", a small, cheap rear-engined car, from 1925 to 1928. Also, in Czechoslovakia, the Hans Ledwinka -designed Tatra T77 , a very popular car amongst the German elite, was becoming smaller and more affordable at each revision. Ferdinand Porsche , a well-known designer for high-end vehicles and race cars, had been trying for years to get

3589-455: The Autostick system in the first Chrysler vehicles to have the design included a different TCM ( Transmission Control Module ), shift assembly utilizing a unique PRNDL design invented by Peter Gruich in 1994, and gauge cluster. The gauge cluster includes a read-out to let the driver know which gear is selected. Switching between automatic and manual transmission modes is by moving the shift lever to

3686-448: The Baja 1000 Mexican races from 1967 to 1971, Volkswagen produced its first limited-edition Beetle. It was marketed as the "Baja Champion SE" in the United States and the "Marathon" Superbeetle in the rest of the world. It featured unique "Marathon Blau" metallic blue paint, steel-pressed 10-spoke 15-inch (38 cm) magnesium-alloy wheels, a commemorative metal plate mounted on the glovebox and

3783-581: The Beetle and the NSU -based K70 also failed to sell. Beetle sales had started to decline rapidly in European and North American markets. The company knew that Beetle production had to end, but faced a conundrum of how to replace it. VW's ownership of Audi/ Auto Union proved beneficial. Its expertise in front-wheel drive , and water-cooled engines would help Volkswagen produce a credible Beetle successor. Audi influences paved

3880-509: The British Army was persuaded to place a vital order for 20,000 cars. However, production facilities had been massively disrupted, there was a refugee crisis at and around the factory, and some parts (such as carburettors ) were unavailable. Hirst and his German assistant Heinrich Nordhoff (who went on to run the Wolfsburg facility after the military government ended in 1949) helped to stabilise

3977-577: The German words Volk and Wagen , meaning "people's car." Volkswagen was established in 1937 by the German Labour Front (German: Deutsche Arbeitsfront ) as part of the Strength Through Joy (German: Kraft durch Freude ) program in Berlin . In the early 1930s, cars were a luxury—most Germans could afford nothing more elaborate than a motorcycle, and only one German out of 50 owned

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4074-491: The Golf under the Rabbit name once again in the US and Canada in 2006. Automotive industry The word automotive comes from the Greek autos (self), and Latin motivus (of motion ), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle. This term, as proposed by Elmer Sperry (1860–1930), first came into use to describe automobiles in 1898. The automotive industry began in the 1860s with hundreds of manufacturers pioneering

4171-696: The Jazz show car featured the new system. Marketed as the Chrysler AutoStick , the Dodge Intrepid ES and Eagle Vision TSi were the first production automobile models in North America that came equipped with the system, the former as an option, the latter as standard. The system was standard equipment on the 1997 Plymouth Prowler and 1999 Chrysler 300M . It was added to the JA cars on the 1997 Stratus . This system

4268-645: The PSA Group in early 2021 ; only Renault was degraded to 11th place, in 2022, when being surpassed by both BMW (which became the 10th largest in 2021) and Chang'an . These were the twenty largest manufacturers by production volume in 2012 and 2013, or the 21 largest in 2011 (before the Fiat-Chrysler merger ), of which the fourteen largest as of 2011 were in the top 14 in 2010, 2008 and 2007 (but not 2009, when Changan and Mazda temporarily degraded Chrysler to 16th place). The eighteen largest as of 2013 have remained in

4365-428: The U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons. After 1945, the U.S. produced around three-quarters of the world's auto production. In 1980, the U.S. was overtaken by Japan and then became a world leader again in 1994. Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in production during 2006 and 2007, and in 2008 also China , which in 2009 took the top spot (from Japan) with 13.8 million units, although the U.S. surpassed Japan in 2011, to become

4462-523: The United Kingdom when they were demobilised . In 1986, Hirst said that factory workers were, after many years of Nazi conditioning, initially reluctant to follow his orders; to counter this, he had his military uniform brought back from Britain and wore it in the factory, after which he reported having no problems even though he was no longer a soldier at the time but a civilian member of the military government. The post-war industrial plans for Germany set out rules that governed which industries Germany

4559-526: The United States as the Rabbit until the spring of 1984. The second-generation Golf hatchback/Jetta sedan ran from October 1983 until the autumn of 1991, and a North American version produced at Westmoreland Assembly went on sale at the start of the 1985 model year. The production numbers of the first-generation Golf has continued to grow annually in South Africa as the Citi Golf , with only minor modifications to

4656-467: The acute social situation while simultaneously re-establishing production. Hirst, for example, used his engineering experience to arrange the manufacture of carburettors, the original producers being effectively 'lost' in the Soviet zone . The first few hundred cars went to personnel from the occupying forces, and to the postal service . Some British service personnel were allowed to take their Beetles back to

4753-486: The automotive industry, safety means that users, operators, or manufacturers do not face any risk or danger coming from the motor vehicle or its spare parts. Safety for the automobiles themselves implies that there is no risk of damage. Safety in the automotive industry is particularly important and therefore highly regulated. Automobiles and other motor vehicles have to comply with a certain number of regulations, whether local or international, in order to be accepted on

4850-689: The autumn of 1983 (sold as the Rabbit in the United States and Canada and as the Caribe in Latin America). Its chassis also spawned the Volkswagen Scirocco sport coupe , Volkswagen Jetta saloon/sedan, Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet convertible, and Volkswagen Caddy pick-up. North American production of the Rabbit commenced at the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania in 1978. It would be produced in

4947-405: The basis for Volkswagen's turn-around. While Volkswagen's range of cars soon became similar to that of other large European car makers, the Golf has been the mainstay of the Volkswagen line-up since its introduction, and the mechanical basis for several other cars of the company. There have been eight generations of the Volkswagen Golf , the first of which was produced from the summer of 1974 until

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5044-400: The board for Ford. Henry Ford II looked to Breech for his opinion, and Breech said, "Mr. Ford, I don't think what we're being offered here is worth a damn!" Ford passed on the offer, leaving Volkswagen to rebuild itself under Nordhoff's leadership. From 1948, Volkswagen became an important element, symbolically and economically, of West German regeneration . Heinrich Nordhoff (1899–1968),

5141-453: The bottom that then allows upshifts and downshifts by moving the lever left and right. The system works with shifter down into a gated area on the shift assembly that allows the shifter to be pushed to the right (up-shift) or to the left (down-shift). Pushing the shifter sends a signal to the TCM to shift up, or down depending on the driver's actions. Dropping the shifter into the Autostick gate while

5238-622: The car was stretched 2 inches (51 mm) to allow the spare tire to lie flat, and the combination of these two features increased the usable front luggage space. In 1973, Volkswagen introduced the military-themed Type 181 , or "Trekker" in Europe, "Thing" in America, recalling the wartime Type 82. The military version was produced for the NATO -era German Army during the Cold War years of 1970 to 1979. The US Thing version only sold for two years, 1973 and 1974. By late 1972, Volkswagen had decided to cancel

5335-464: The car, using crisp layouts and witty copy to lure the younger, sophisticated consumers with whom the car became associated. Even though it was almost universally known as the Beetle (or the Bug), it was never officially labelled as such by the manufacturer, instead referred to as the Type 1. Although the car was becoming outdated, during the 1960s and early 1970s, American exports, innovative advertising, and

5432-420: The clutch would re-engage automatically. The transmission was also equipped with a torque converter , allowing the car to idle in gear, like an automatic . The torque converter was operated by transmission fluid. This would allow the car to stop in any gear and start from a standing stop in any gear. The Autostick debuted on the 1968 Volkswagen Beetle and Karmann Ghia (Type 14) at mid-model year along with

5529-546: The company elsewhere (mostly in developing countries), and the New Stanton, Pennsylvania factory closed on 14 July 1988. Meanwhile, four years after signing a cooperation agreement with the Spanish car maker SEAT in 1982, Hahn expanded the company by purchasing a majority share of SEAT up to 75% by the end of 1986, which VW bought outright in 1990. On 4 July 1985, Volkswagenwerk AG was renamed to Volkswagen AG . Volkswagen entered

5626-529: The company's silence about the persecution of its workers. In fall 2016, VW commissioned an expert review of the situation due end of 2017. On 22 August 1960, Volkswagenwerk GmbH was renamed to Volkswagenwerk AG . Sales soared throughout the 1960s, peaking at the end of the decade thanks in part to the famous advertising campaigns by New York advertising agency Doyle, Dane Bernbach . Led by art director Helmut Krone , and copywriters Julian Koenig and Bob Levinson, Volkswagen advertisements became as popular as

5723-634: The driver had braked. Shifting into 4th (aka D) cancels Autostick single gear selection mode, and gears are automatically selected as usual until down or OD lockout is pressed. In modern implementations, if the user does not shift while driving in the Autostick mode, the transmission will automatically up-shift at redline (the exception being the Plymouth/Chrysler Prowler which will not shift automatically at redline when in AutoStick mode) to prevent engine/transmission damage, and will not downshift into

5820-416: The factory workers. This factory had only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. None were actually delivered to any holder of the completed saving stamp books, though one Type 1 Cabriolet was presented to Hitler on 20 April 1944 (his 55th birthday). War changed production to military vehicles—the Type 82 Kübelwagen ("Bucket car") utility vehicle (VW's most common wartime model), and

5917-564: The front bumper. The 1961 Type 1 Beetle had a 36 hp 1200cc four cylinder air-cooled flat-four opposed OHV engine made of aluminium alloy block and heads. By 1966, the Type 1 came with a 1300cc engine. By 1967 the Type 1 had a 1500cc engine, and 1600cc in 1970. The air-cooled engine lost favour in the United States market with the advent of unleaded petrol and smog controls. These air-cooled engines were commonly tuned to be fuel-rich in order to control engine over-heating, and this led to excessive carbon monoxide emissions. VW production equipment

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6014-408: The handle and monitors it for voltage drop The voltage ranges 0.3-1.6,1.6-2.8, 2.8-3.8, and 3.8-4.8 representing down, up, overdrive lockout, and all open respectively. The vehicle drops into 1st after stopping but can be launched in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gear. The speed (or cruise) control operates only in 3rd and 4th gear while in Autostick mode and is deactivated if shifted to 2nd gear, just as it would if

6111-524: The historic Audi brand, which had disappeared after the Second World War. VW ultimately merged Auto Union and NSU to create the modern Audi company, and would go on to develop it as its luxury vehicle marque . The purchase of Auto Union and NSU was a pivotal point in Volkswagen's history, as both companies yielded the technological expertise that proved necessary for VW to survive when demand for its air-cooled models went into decline. Volkswagen added

6208-521: The interior, engine and chassis, using tooling relocated from the New Stanton, Pennsylvania plant when that site began to build the Second Generation car. In the 1980s, Volkswagen's sales in the United States and Canada fell dramatically, despite the success of models like the Golf elsewhere. Sales in the United States were 293,595 in 1980, but by 1984 they were down to 177,709. The introduction of

6305-467: The lack of a five-door version, helped ensure even stronger sales than its predecessor. It continued to sell well after a makeover in 1990, finally being replaced by an all-new version in 1994. Also arriving in 1981 were the second generation of the larger Passat and a second generation of the Volkswagen Scirocco coupe. In 1983 the MK2 Golf was launched. At the beginning of 1988, the third generation Passat

6402-479: The list below) currently possess the capability to design original production automobiles from the ground up, and 17 countries (listed below) have at least one million produced vehicles a year (as of 2023). These were the ten largest manufacturers by production volume as of 2017, of which the eight largest were in the top 8 positions since Fiat's 2013 acquisition of the Chrysler Corporation (although

6499-545: The market. The standard ISO 26262 , is considered one of the best practice frameworks for achieving automotive functional safety . In case of safety issues, danger, product defect , or faulty procedure during the manufacturing of the motor vehicle, the maker can request to return either a batch or the entire production run. This procedure is called product recall . Product recalls happen in every industry and can be production-related or stem from raw materials. Product and operation tests and inspections at different stages of

6596-431: The nearly finished typ 266 , a project for a mid-engined car to replace the Beetle, and to focus on front-wheel-drive, water-cooled cars. Rudolf Leiding , recently made head of Volkswagen, cited noise, heat, and servicing problems with the mid-engine layout, as well as the difficulty of making it a station wagon. Volkswagen was in serious trouble by 1973. The Type 3 and Type 4 models had sold in much smaller numbers than

6693-563: The new Type 3 mechanical underpinnings. The name 'Squareback' was used in the United States for the Variant. In 1969 the larger Type 4 (411 and 412) models were introduced. These differed substantially from previous vehicles, with the notable introduction of monocoque /unibody construction, the option of a fully automatic transmission , electronic fuel injection , and a sturdier powerplant. In 1964, Volkswagen acquired Auto Union , and in 1969, NSU Motorenwerke AG (NSU). The former company owned

6790-574: The opposite; namely that the automotive industry was slowing down even in BRIC countries. In the United States, vehicle sales peaked in 2000, at 17.8 million units. In July 2021, the European Commission released its " Fit for 55 " legislation package, which contains important guidelines for the future of the automotive industry; all new cars on the European market must be zero-emission vehicles from 2035. The governments of 24 developed countries and

6887-468: The production of a basic vehicle capable of transporting two adults and three children at 100 km/h (62 mph). He wanted a car every German family would be able to afford. The "People's Car" would be available through a savings plan at 990  ℛ︁ℳ︁ (US$ 396 in 1938)—about the price of a small motorcycle (the average income being around 32 ℛ︁ℳ︁ a week). It soon became apparent that private industry could not turn out

6984-512: The redline. When coming to a complete stop, the system will automatically return to the first gear. Volkswagen Volkswagen ( VW ; German pronunciation: [ˈfɔlksˌvaːɡn̩] ) is a German automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg , Lower Saxony , Germany. Established in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party , it was revitalized into the global brand it

7081-770: The region. Brandenburg's Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said that while water supply was sufficient during the first stage, more would be needed once Tesla expands the site. The factory would nearly double the water consumption in the Gruenheide area, with 1.4 million cubic meters being contracted from local authorities per year — enough for a city of around 40,000 people. Steinbach said that the authorities would like to drill for more water there and outsource any additional supply if necessary. 1960s : Post-war increase 1970s : Oil crisis and tighter safety and emission regulation 1990s : Production started in NICs . 2000s : Rise of China as

7178-516: The second-generation Golf, GTI and Jetta models helped Volkswagen briefly in North America. Motor Trend named the GTI its Car of the Year for 1985, and Volkswagen rose in the J.D. Power buyer satisfaction ratings to eighth place in 1985, up from 22nd a year earlier. VW's American sales broke 200,000 in 1985 and 1986 before resuming the downward trend from earlier in the decade. Chairman Carl Hahn decided to expand

7275-461: The second-largest automobile industry. In 2023, China had for the first time in history more than 30 million produced vehicles a year, after reaching 29 million for the first time in 2017 and 28 million the year before. From 1970 (140 models) over 1998 (260 models) to 2012 (684 models), the number of automobile models in the U.S. has grown exponentially. Safety is a state that implies being protected from any risk, danger, damage, or cause of injury. In

7372-518: The segment above the Golf. In 1998 the company launched the new Lupo city car. In 1999 they announced the first "3-litre" car, a lightweight version of the Lupo that could travel 100 km with only 3-liters of diesel—making it the world's most fuel efficient car at the time. Volkswagen began introducing an array of new models after Bernd Pischetsrieder became Volkswagen Group CEO (responsible for all Group brands) in 2002. The sixth-generation VW Golf

7469-552: The supermini market in 1975 with the Volkswagen Polo , a stylish and spacious three-door hatchback designed by Bertone . It was a strong seller in West Germany and most of the rest of Western Europe, being one of the first foreign small cars to prove popular in Britain. It had started out in 1974 as the Audi 50 , which was only available in certain markets and was less popular. The Polo entered

7566-410: The third-generation Golf, which was European Car of the Year for 1992. The Golf Mk3 and Jetta Mk3 arrived in North America in 1993. The sedan version of the Golf was badged Vento in Europe but remained Jetta in the United States. The Scirocco and the later Corrado were both Golf-based coupés . In 1994, Volkswagen unveiled the J Mays -designed Concept One , a "retro"-themed concept car with

7663-464: The transmission will not enter 4th gear and downshifts to 3rd if it is in 4th gear. Specific gears are selected by an up/off/down 3 position momentary switch in the middle of the handle on the PRNDL lever, up to upshift and down to downshift. OD lockout and specific gear selection are mutually exclusive. While in OD lockout the transmission behaves as a 3-speed automatic transmission. Autostick gear selection holds

7760-423: The vehicle is moving will keep the transmission in the current automatically selected gear. For the column-shift third- and fourth-generation Dodge Grand Caravan ES, Chrysler Town and Country 1999–2003, four-speed automatic transmission models with FWD (41TE) or AWD (41AE) transmission only. The Autostick feature is activated by moving the "PRNDL" transmission selection on the steering column clockwise past D where L

7857-436: The war effort. German historians estimated that 80% of Volkswagen's wartime workforce was slave labour. Many of the slaves were reported to have been supplied from the concentration camps upon request from plant managers. A lawsuit was filed in 1998 by survivors for restitution for the forced labour. Volkswagen would set up a voluntary restitution fund. In April 1945, KdF-Stadt and its heavily bombed factory were captured by

7954-564: The way for this new generation of Volkswagens: the Passat, Scirocco, Golf , and Polo. First in the series was the Volkswagen Passat (Dasher in the US), introduced in 1973, a fastback version of the Audi 80 , using many identical body and mechanical parts. Estate/wagon versions were available in many markets. In Europe, the estate/wagon version dominated market share for many years. In spring 1974,

8051-457: The world's largest-producing country in 2009. 2010s : India overtakes Korea, Canada, Spain to become 5th largest automobile producer. 2013 : The share of China (25.4%), India, Korea, Brazil, and Mexico rose to 43%, while the share of United States (12.7%), Japan, Germany, France, and United Kingdom fell to 34%. The OICA counts over 50 countries that assemble, manufacture, or disseminate automobiles. Of those, only 15 countries ( boldfaced in

8148-476: Was allowed to retain. These rules set German car production at a maximum of 10% of 1936 car production. By 1946, the factory produced 1,000 cars a month even though it was still in disrepair. Owing to roof and window damage, production had to stop when it rained, and the company had to barter new vehicles for steel for production. The car and its town changed their Second World War-era names to "Volkswagen" and " Wolfsburg " respectively, and production increased. It

8245-408: Was connected to a vacuum -operated automatic clutch. The top of the gear shift was designed to easily depress and activate an electric switch, i.e. when engaged by the driver's hand. When pressed, the switch operated a 12-volt solenoid , in turn, operating the vacuum clutch servo , thus disengaging the clutch and allowing shifting between gears. With the driver's hand removed from the gearshift,

8342-730: Was continued with the Golf Mk4 , introduced at the end of 1997 (North America in 1999), its chassis spawned a host of other cars within the Volkswagen Group; the Volkswagen Bora (the sedan known as the Jetta in the United States), SEAT Toledo, SEAT León, Audi A3 , Audi TT , and Škoda Octavia . Other main models during the decade include the Polo , a smaller car than the Golf, and the larger Passat for

8439-606: Was designed by the Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro . Its design followed trends for small family cars set by the 1959 Mini  – the Golf had a transversely mounted , water-cooled engine in the front, driving the front wheels, and had a hatchback , a format that has dominated the market segment ever since. Beetle production at Wolfsburg ended upon the Golf's introduction. It continued in smaller numbers at other German factories ( Hanover and Emden ) until 1978, but mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico. In 1975,

8536-437: Was driven on a nationwide tour for Volkswagen Canada's 60th year of business festivities in 2012). By 1955, sales warranted the building of the Volkswagen plant on a 32-acre (13 ha) site on Scarborough's Golden Mile . To this, a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m ) building with administration, showrooms, service, repairs and parts was built in 1957, with storage for $ 4,000,000 of parts. In 1959, VW started production at

8633-669: Was established in Berlin by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront , the national labour organization of the Nazi Party. More than a year later, on 16 September 1938, it was renamed to Volkswagenwerk GmbH . Erwin Komenda , the longstanding Auto Union chief designer, part of Ferdinand Porsche's hand-picked team, developed the car body of the prototype, which was recognisably the Beetle known today. It

8730-460: Was eventually moved to Mexico where vehicle emissions were not regulated. Beetles were popular on the US West Coast where the limited-capacity cabin heating was less inconvenient. Beetles were popularised on the US West Coast as beach buggies and dune buggies. VW expanded its product line in 1961 with the introduction of four Type 3 models (Karmann Ghia, Notchback, Fastback, and Variant) based on

8827-607: Was formed in April 1955 to standardise sales and service in the United States. Production of the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle increased dramatically over the years, the total reaching one million in 1955. The UK's first official Volkswagen importer, Colborne Garages of Ripley, Surrey , started business with importing parts for the models brought home by soldiers returning from Germany. Canadian Motors, Limited brought in Canada's first shipment of Volkswagens on 10 July 1952 (shipping order 143075). The order consisted of 12 vehicles, (3) model 11C,

8924-592: Was just one of many KdF programs, which included things such as tours and outings. The prefix Volks ("People's") was not just applied to cars, but also to other products in Germany—the Volksempfänger radio receiver for instance. On 28 May 1937, Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH ("Company for the Preparation of the German Volkswagen Ltd."), or Gezuvor for short,

9021-576: Was launched in 2008, came runner-up to the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia in the 2009 European Car of the Year , and has spawned several cousins: VW Jetta , VW Scirocco , SEAT León , SEAT Toledo , Škoda Octavia and Audi A3 hatchback ranges, as well as a new mini- MPV , the SEAT Altea . The GTI, a " hot hatch " performance version of the Golf, boasts a 2.0 L Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct injection engine. VW began marketing

9118-434: Was one of the first cars designed with the aid of a wind tunnel —a method used for German aircraft design since the early 1920s. The car designs were put through rigorous tests and achieved a record-breaking million miles of testing before being deemed finished. The construction of the new factory started in May 1938 in the new town of "Stadt des KdF-Wagens" (renamed Wolfsburg after the war), which had been purpose-built for

9215-484: Was standard on 1999 to 2003 model year Dodge Grand Caravan ES, but only the front-wheel drive models since the AWD used a different TCM. Many Chrysler models were later fitted with this system, including the 300 , 300C , Charger , Challenger , Sebring , PT Cruiser , Crossfire , Pacifica , Chrysler Town & Country , Dodge Avenger , Dodge Stratus R/T , Dodge Journey R/T and SXT and Dodge Grand Caravan . Components of

9312-545: Was still unclear what was to become of the factory. It was offered to representatives from the American, Australian, British, and French motor industries who all rejected it. After an inspection of the plant, Sir William Rootes , head of the British Rootes Group , told Hirst the project would fail within two years, and that the car "...is quite unattractive to the average motorcar buyer, is too ugly and too noisy. If you think you're going to build cars in this place, you're

9409-573: Was the next major car launch and Volkswagen did not produce a hatchback version of this Passat, despite the rising popularity of the hatchback body style throughout Europe. Just after launching the B3 Passat, Volkswagen launched the Corrado , analogous to the Scirocco , although the Scirocco remained in production until 1992; a third generation of Scirocco was in production 2008–17. In 1991, Volkswagen launched

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