Volkswagen Rolls 150 Millionth Vehicle Off Production Line

Congratulations are in order for a job well done.

byRob Stumpf|
Volkswagen Rolls 150 Millionth Vehicle Off Production Line
Share

0

On Thursday morning something incredible happened - after 80 years of auto manufacturing, Volkswagen rolled its 150 millionth car off of the production line and couldn't be more proud. Even amid its diesel emission scandals, the auto giant still continues to push out cars - this particular milestone celebrates not only its accomplishments thus far, but it's road map for the future.

The car in question is a Volkswagen Golf GTE. This plug-in hybrid is fitted with both a 1.4 liter turbocharged four cylinder, as well as an electric motor which is more akin to the direction in which VW is headed. The "GT" prefix subtly pays homage to the GTI's rich heritige, while the "E" suffix proclaims its modern electrified powertrain, something which Volkswagen is committed to improving in the next seven years. Since the Golf's introduction in 1974, the company has sold more than 34 million units - nearly a quarter of the 150 million cars can be traced to a single model in VW's offerings.

If you've bought a VW in the United States, chances are it came from either Germany, Mexico, or the United States. Volkswagen does have a total of 50 production locations spanning across the world. Each of these locations in 14 different countries have played their part in the total vehicle count, but one plant alone in Wolfsburg, Germany is responsible for the creation and assembly of over 44 million cars during its 72-year lifespan. This type of commitment has lead Volkswagen to compete nearly neck-in-neck with Toyota to become the world's largest auto manufacturer when all of twelve of its brands - Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen, naming just a few - are accounted for.

Though Volkswagen does currently sell 60 different models, its top five sellers list accounts for three-fourths of its total production count, or 112 million out of 150 million units:

  • 34 million Golfs
  • 21.5 million Beetles
  • 20 million Passats
  • 19.5 million Jettas
  • 17 million Polos

This different models that Volkswagen sells may very well be interrupted in the future as the manufacturer introduces its I.D. lineup to the world. By 2022, VW plans to introduce five new production models under the I.D. name, as well as electrify some of the existing lineup, such as the Scirocco. Eventually, its Audi brand will also receive this treatment with the E-Tron family of vehicles. This change is brought by the ideology that Tesla needs to be considered as a serious competitor to Volkswagen in the near future. Though not all of its brands will get the electric makeover, it appears to account for the modern shift that VW CEO Herbert Deiss references in the above video.

Hats off to a job well done.

stripe