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Because of the huge popularity of the Beetle when it was in production and the relatively few other Volkswagen models sometimes the cars were simply referred to as "Volkswagens."
Advertising slogans include: Das Auto, Isn't it time for German engineering?
Volkswagen AG is a German car manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the second-largest automaker in the world.
Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time compiled by the website 24/7 Wall St.: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured, which includes model names that span multiple revisions and generations.
Volkswagen translates as "People's Automobile" in German. The company's current international slogan is "Volkswagen". In North America, the pronunciation is Americanized to the approximate "folks-wagon."
Operations
Volkswagen is the founding and namesake member of the Volkswagen Group, a large international corporation in charge of multiple car and truck brands, including Audi, SEAT, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Scania, and Škoda. Volkswagen Group's global headquarters are located in Volkswagen's historic home of Wolfsburg, Germany.
Volkswagen Group, as a unit, is currently Europe's largest automaker. For a long time, Volkswagen has had a market share over 20 percent.
In 2010, Volkswagen, posted record sales of 6.29 million vehicles, with its global market share at 11.4%. In 2008, Volkswagen became the third largest automaker in the world, and, as of 2012, Volkswagen is the second largest manufacturer worldwide. Volkswagen has aimed to double its US market share from 2% to 4% in 2014, and is aiming to become, sustainably, the world's largest car maker by 2018. Volkswagen Group's core markets include Germany and China.
Worldwide presence
Volkswagen has factories in many parts of the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for local markets. Volkswagen has manufacturing or assembly plants in Germany, Mexico, US, Slovakia, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and South Africa. In 2011, Volkswagen was named in the top 25 largest companies in the world by the Forbes Global 2000.
Volkswagen is setting up a new factory in West Java, Indonesia, which started construction in mid-2013,. The investment into the new plant, which will produce large transporters and multivans, is valued at $140 million.
As of May 2014, Volkswagen is planning to start assembling certain engines in India to increase localisation from 70% to 90%.
In January 2016, Volkswagen announced launching a new factory in Algeria during a summit between Angela Merkel and Algerian Prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal.
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23 September 2015 (10:12PM) Fake Emissions Testing a Blow to Volkswagen Reputation Zlatica Hoke, VOA News
The revelation that Volkswagen equipped millions of its vehicles worldwide with software that evaded emission controls has dealt a serious blow to the reputation of the German car industry. The United States has opened a criminal investigation into Volkswagen cars sold here, and other countries say they will do the same. The crisis already has cost Volkswagen more than $28 billion in market value with its stock price plummeting. Zlatica Hoke reports.
9 October 2015 (7:00AM) German, US Officials Investigate Volkswagen Zlatica Hoke, VOA News
German officials have taken steps to restore some of the reputation their car industry has lost after a recent Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal. Authorities have searched Volkswagen headquarters and other locations in an effort to identify the culprits in the creation of software that helps cheat on emission tests. Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers in Washington held a hearing to get to the bottom of the cheating strategy that was first discovered in the United States. Zlatica Hoke reports.
7 December 2017 16-16731 Ronald Fleshman, Jr. v. Volkswagen, AG United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Objectors and class members seeking to opt out, appeal the district court's order approving a mulitdistrict class settlement in In re: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel"Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation.
7 December 2017 16-17060 Ronald Fleshman, Jr. v. Volkswagen, AG United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Proposed intervenor Ronald Fleshman appeals the district court's denial of his motion to intervene in a multidistrict-litigation proceeding under Fed. R. Civ. P. 24, and as a statutory matter of right, in The United States v. Volkswagen AG.
Volkswagen’s Emissions Cheating Allegations: Initial Questions Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce U.S. House of Representatives
Volkswagen’s Emissions Cheating Settlement: Questions Concerning ZEV Program Implementation Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce U.S. House of Representatives
In re: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation Notice of Lodging of Third Partial Consent Decree United States District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division
In re: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation Third Partial Consent Decree United States District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division
United States of America v. D-2 Richard Dorenkamp, D-3 Heinz-Jakob Neusser, D-4 Jens Hadler, D-5 Bernd Gottweis, D-6 Oliver Schmidt, and D-7 Jürgen Peter Second Superseding Information United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
United States of America v. Richard Dorenkamp, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Jens Hadler, Bernd Gottweis, Jürgen Peter, and Martin Winterkorn Complaint United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division
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