Volkswagen has built its 150 millionth car, 81 years after series production of the Type 1 Beetle began. And fittingly, the 150 millionth car is a Golf: since its launch in 1974, Volkswagen has built more than 34 million of them.
The 150 millionth VW was a blue Golf GTE, assembled at the original Wolfsburg factory in Germany – Volkswagen now has more than 50 factories in 14 countries, a key factor in accelerating it towards the 150 million total.
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Wolfsburg has alone still produced 44 million Volkswagens though, and other long-running VW model lines also boast big numbers: the firm has built 20 million Passats, 19.5 million Jettas and 17 million Polos.
When production finally ceased in Mexico in 2013, the firm revealed total production of its original Beetle had reached 21.5 million.
Naturally, bosses organised a presentation on the production line in Wolfsburg, attended by CEO Dr. Herbert Diess. “I see the 150 millionth Volkswagen as an incentive to do everything to ensure a good future for Volkswagen,” he said.
The firm, currently still battling to restore its reputation in the wake of the dieselgate scandal, is now planning a future focused heavily on electric cars. Its new I.D. family of EVs will be built on an all-new electric car architecture, with the first model hitting the road in 2020.
By 2025, Volkswagen plans to hit the 1 million mark for electric cars. Meanwhile, it will also launch 10 new cars in 2017, and says it will offer a total of 19 new SUVs by 2020.
