Super Eco

Photo credit: Volkswagen

Volkswagen, widely known simply as “VW,” is Europe’s number one selling auto manufacturer and is one the world’s largest and best known passenger car makers. The company, whose name means “people’s car,” was founded in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1937. The internationally renowned brand first became famous for car designer and inventor Ferdinand Porsche’s rear-engine Beetle Car sedan. Porsche was one of the first to experiment with electric and electric hybrid vehicles, some 60 years before doing so became popular.

Some of the more popular Volkswagen car models, many of them named after animals, weather patterns and insects, include: the Rabbit; New Beetle; GTI; Jetta, GLI; Passat; Tiguan; Touareg 2 and the new Eos. Additionally, VW exclusively owns several luxury-class automobile brands. Among them are AUDI, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Volkswagen also manufactures Seat, a family car sold in Spain, and Skoda, a family car sold in the Czech Republic. Its mass-scale manufacturing plants operate throughout the globe, including factory plants in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia.

The company’s American subsidiary, Volkswagen of America, was founded in 1955 and recently relocated to Herndon, Virginia. Approximately 600 independent dealers sell Volkswagen cars throughout the U.S. 

Many consider Adolf Hitler the driving force behind the invention of the Volkswagen Beetle. He was believed to have penciled a rough concept for the incredibly successful, iconic vehicle, which is still popular today. As chancellor of Germany, Hitler championed Volkswagen cars as affordable, reliable means of transportation for the everyday working-class German. During WWII, the company transitioned from car production to weapons production with the aid of forced laborers, prisoners or war and concentration camp prisoners, according to Volkswagen’s official company history.

Notable Eco Activity

Volkswagen is in the midst of aggressively publicizing its commitment to preserving the environment. The company has made award-winning strides to minimize its cars’ overall impact on the environment, from cleaner, more sustainable manufacturing operations to lower-consumption, lower-emission and biofuel mobility systems to optimizing the recyclability of its end-of-life vehicles. Volkswagen continues to strive to make its products and production processes more environmentally compatible in all aspects.

Hybrid Technology
Volkswagen, often considered a latecomer in the development of hybrid auto technology, recently partnered with Sanyo create a hybrid vehicle battery system. The company has confirmed plans to develop its first compact hybrid vehicles, beginning with its gasoline and diesel engine Polo and Golf models. Eventually, Volkswagen will reportedly manufacture all future models with a hybrid option.

Green Production Practices
Volkwagen closely monitors the environmental impacts of its production on soil, water and “air fall” with the aim of “maximized sustainability and environmental acceptability.” All of the company’s European production sites have been certified in accordance to European Union’s Environmental Management Systems regulations (a strict framework for managing an organization’s overall environmental impact).

Fuel Efficient Technology & Emissions
Volkswagen has long been a leader in reducing fuel emissions. The car maker’s innovative, award-winning emissions “aftertreatment” and fuel-efficient powertrain systems have been proven to dramatically reduce environmental pollutants like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile hydrocarbons and carcinogenic particulates.

In the 1999, Volkwagen made environmental automotive history with the creation of its Lupo 3L TDI, the first mass produced vehicle to boast an impressive fuel consumption of less than one gallon per 62 miles.

BlueMotion is Volkswagen’s newest brand of low-consumption, fuel-efficient vehicles. Skoda, a Volkswagen subsidiary, also recently released its fuel-efficient line of GreenLine sedans now for sale in Europe. Volkswagen’s long-term goal is to offer completely carbon-neutral mobility.
 
Biofuels and Clean Diesel
Volkswagen engineers are currently developing a variety second-generation biomass alternatives to petroleum fuels, which will eventually be used to power all engines in Volkswagen Group's current model range. Volkswagen’s clean diesel engines already run on several biofuels derived from renewable sources, including food production byproducts, plant matter and agricultural waste.

The company unveiled its clean diesel technology on the race track in 2008. Volkswagen will be is using B5 biodiesel to fuel its race cars, transport vehicles and generators for the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season. The 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDI cuts fuel emissions by 90 percent.
 
Volkswagen researchers are also exploring the viability of Sunfuel®, a  biomass-to-clean diesel fuel conversion. The company claims the breakthrough biofuel is “almost C02-neutral.”

Nature Conservation
Volkwagen supports a host of environmental and wildlife conservation initiatives throughout the world, including sponsorship of the German Society for Nature Conservation, the protection of endangered wolves in Germany and countless additional natural restoration undertakings in and around the many locales in which it operates.

Currently, the company is partnering with the German city of Wolfsburg, long home to its headquarters and a key manufacturing plant, to create floodplain biotopes and habitats for rare plant and animal species in the surrounding Aller Valley.

Carbon Offsetting
Via its partnership with Carbonfund.org, Volkswagen of America is helping VW owners calculate and offset their car’s specific carbon output. Volkswagen has planted hundreds of thousands of trees in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (“The VW Forest”) as part of its groundbreaking carbon neutralization project.

Recycling
Recycled and recyclable materials are integral to Volkswagen vehicle production. The company labels all of its recyclable plastic parts for ease of recyclability and “avoids” the use of hazardous substances throughout its production processes.

Environmental Awards & Recognition
The 2006 Alternative Powertrain Study named Volkswagen the most environmentally compatible auto manufacturer in the U.S.

The Oko-Trend Institute for Environmental Research recently awarded Volkswagen’s TSI model, among of the most environmentally sound vehicles of 2007, its coveted “Auto Environment Certificate.”

Autobytel named the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 “the Best Car for the Environment.” The EPA deemed the car’s fuel-efficient engine “the only powertrain that burns cleanly enough to meet the strict criteria.”

• Volkswagen Details

  • Year Founded

    1937

  • Founded By

    Unavailable

  • Green Products?

    Yes

  • Hazardous Products?

    Yes

  • Sector

    Auto manufacturers

  • Industry

    Auto manufacturers

  • Help Line

    1-800-822-8987

  • Help Address

    http://www.vw.com/customerservice/contactus/en/us/#

  • Fax Number

    (303) 516-0227

  • Website

    http://www.volkswagen.com

  • Key Execs

    Unavailable

  • Competitors

    Honda, Daimler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors

  
  

• Volkswagen Locations

  • Headquarters

    Brieffach 1849 38436 Wolfsburg, Germany

  • Mail Address

    Brieffach 1849 38436 Wolfsburg, Germany

  • Operates In

    United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Italy, Spain

  • Manufacturing

    Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, United Kingdom

  
  

• Volkswagen Financial Information

  • Company Type

    Public

  • Yearly Revenue

    $160,285.5 (mil)

  • Traded On

    Unavailable

  • Symbols

    VOW

  • Notes

    #61 in FT Global 500