The iconic brand is doing something right.
For 80 years now, VW Beetles have been roaming the streets. A whole generation knows what "fahrvergnügen" means, and with two of the longest running models in history (that's if you include the Kombi), the people's car has reached a new milestone. A night blue metallic Golf GTE has rolled off the Wolfsburg, Germany, assembly line to mark the world's largest automaker's 150 millionth vehicle produced.
One hundred and fifty million vehicles -- that means we have made the dream of owning a car come true 150 million times for customers all over the world. You and your day-to-day work are the basis for this success," said Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, as he addressed the team in Assembly Hall 12.
The GTE is the plug-in hybrid version of the Golf -- it can go 30 miles without taking a sip of petrol and was chosen to celebrate the Golf's role in reaching the milestone. Of the 150 million cars produced, the Golf makes up 30 million of them. In comparison, the German automaker has produced 19.5 million Jettas, 20 million Passats, and (since the war) 21.5 million Beetles.
[gallery ids="22271,22272,22273"]Now the company offers more than 60 models worldwide, has 50 production locations in 14 different countries (including the USA), and plans to launch 10 more models this year alone. Beginning in 2020, the company has its sights set on expanding its electric vehicle offering and plans to have one million EVs on the road by 2025.
And since the conglomerate also owns Audi, Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, and Lamborghini (just to name a few), there's no shortage of automotive knowledge to draw from.
