Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
The division carries Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at Volkswagen AG as its own brand, the responsibility for the production of commercial vehicles. The model range includes mainly small vans.
History
The history of commercial vehicle production at Volkswagen begins in 1950 with the start of serial production of the VW Transporter, internally referred to as Type 2, popularly known as the VW bus or Bulli. This VW produced next to the VW Beetle ( Type 1 ), a second model, which quickly proved to be extremely successful. The VW Bus and VW Transporter was the first commercial vehicle from Volkswagen and filled a gap in the market.
The VW plant in Wolfsburg quickly proved too small for the additional production of the transporter. A new plant site was sought and found in the Hanover district of sticks. The new Hanover plant began in 1956 with the production; 1958 thus began engine production. In 1961 the completion of the one millionth van was celebrated.
By 1967, approximately 1.8 million were produced by the T1 designated internally first version of the transporter; then was the replacement by the successor model T2. Visually, it recalled the predecessor, but had an undivided windshield. Back in 1968, running the two-millionth Transporter band 1971 reached 3 million.
From 1975, the offer will be extended to the top: The big brother of the transporter called VW LT; compared to the transporter via a built-in front -line engine with water cooling.
From 1977 to 1993 VW cooperated with the truck manufacturer MAN. Together light trucks were developed, built and sold from 1979 under the name "MAN -VW ".
The third generation of the Transporter (T3 ) was launched in 1979. She sold - especially abroad - significantly worse than its predecessor. The still rear -mounted engine offered no usable interior as good as the competition, as well as the vehicle was underpowered with the engines initially offered, the lüftgekühlten 2.0 ltr. Engines were not very stable. Only after the introduction of water-cooled petrol and diesel engines sales rose again. The quality of the T3 was rarely criticized.
In 1981, the subsidiary begins "Volkswagen Caminhoes Ltda. " In Brazil with the construction of medium-duty trucks that are for the time being, however, sold only in South America. The following year, a pick-up will appear as another commercial vehicle, the VW Caddy, based on the Golf I.
The three millionth Transporter T3 runs in 1986 by the band, it was built in Wolfsburg, Hannover, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Australia. As of 1989, the VW Taro is at the Hanover plant produced additionally, a developed jointly with Toyota pick-up, which is a bit larger than the Caddy.
The fourth generation of the Transporter (T4 ) will be built starting in 1990. It constitutes a radical break with the past: the engine now sits forward, the drive is on the front axle. Only two years later, ending the production of the previous model T3. From 1994 is the VW L80, a built in Brazil lighter trucks, also available on the German market.
1995 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is the own brand of the Volkswagen Group and Bernd Wiedemann head of this brand. The following year, the second generation of the LT, which was jointly developed with Daimler -Benz appears. In 1997, the eight millionth van was built, still an integral part of the work VWN is in Poznań, Poland. In 2000, following the Brazilian plant in Resende.
Since 2003, the fifth generation of the van is being built in Hanover and poses. 2004 a new factory in Hanover - Limmer is opened, where the camper "California" is built. Also in 2004, the new Caddy is presented, which is being built at the plant poses. The Caddy is the first time as a family sedan to have ( " Caddy Life ").
On 1 January 2007 Bernd Wiedemann Stephan Schaller will be replaced as head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
2009, the truck and bus division, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses was sold to MAN.
2011, the Internet portal was umbauportal.de launched to intensify the cooperation between Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and body builders.
In fiscal 2012, was able to sell 550 thousand cars of the models Amarok, T5, Caddy and Crafter Volkswagen commercial vehicles worldwide.
Models
- Under license from Toyota
- Together with MAN
- Together with Mercedes -Benz Sprinter
- Manufactured at Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, since 2009 part of MAN
Works
- Volkswagen plant in Hanover, plant sticks
- Volkswagen plant in Hanover, works Limmer
- Poznań, Poland