Many drivers who encounter the abbreviation VAG do not understand what it means. This abbreviation is the name of the large Volkswagen concern, which, in addition to the automobile plant of the same name, includes several hundred companies producing cars, trucks and off-road vehicles. The name VAG in full sounds like Volkswagen Audi Gruppe. It came from two concerns, the merger of which happened before the formation of other brands. In the world there are many fans of cars belonging to this group of car manufacturers, and in Europe the concern occupies a leading position, occupying 25% of the market.

What is VAG?

Often, motorists who have heard about this company do not know what official name it bears and what cars it produces. The legal name is Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, which translates as "Volkswagen Joint Stock Company". The designations Volkswagen Konzern and VAG are unofficial but widespread variants that first appeared in the print media.

Today, there are 342 car companies in the community: this will help to understand what VAG is and what is the scale of such an enterprise. According to reports, half of the Volkswagen shares are owned by the Porsche group, and the holding itself owns half of Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH. Almost three and a half hundred brands in the concern appeared as a result of the appointment of F. Piekh to the post of chairman of the board, who helped the manufacturer get out of a difficult crisis. One of the methods was the purchase of car brands, which at that time seemed unpromising and were just starting to fight for competitive places. All this, coupled with competent management and stricter quality control, made it possible for a century to create the largest concern that supplies cars to countries around the world.

All about cars of the VAG family

So, how many brands are included in this company? With the help of the resources of this automobile concern, the following brands of cars are produced:

• Volkswagen is a car manufacturer.
• AUDI is a brand formerly owned by the Daimler group, but bought out in 1964.
• Seat - the brand was bought in 1990 in full, before that, four years earlier, the company bought a controlling stake.
• Skoda is a passenger car manufacturer bought out in 1991.
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is a special division that produces buses, minibuses and trucks for commercial purposes and for the transport of goods.
• Bugatti is a brand bought in 1998.
• Bentley is a company acquired from a British owner in the same year as the previous firm.
• Lamborghini is an Italian manufacturer of high-speed passenger cars, bought by a subsidiary of Audi in 1998.
• Ducati is a Mediterranean luxury motorcycle manufacturer acquired by Audi in 2012. According to press service reports, the purchase cost more than $1.1 billion.
• Porsche - almost half of the shares of this manufacturer belongs to VAG, the same concern controls new developments, the introduction of innovative engineering and design solutions.
• ItalDesign Giugiaro is an Italian firm that was acquired by Lamborghini in 2010.
• Scania is a manufacturer of tractors, dump trucks, trucks, including long ones, used for long-distance cargo transportation and transportation of heavy loads, including oversized cargo. The block of shares, accounting for almost 71% of the total, was bought out in 2009.
• MAN is another plant engaged in the production of dump trucks, trucks, hybrid engines and high-power diesel power units.
• NSU Motorenwerke is a brand that was bought in 1969, but is not used as an independent car brand.

Analysts say that in the near future we can expect a complete merger of Volkswagen and Porsche, but at the moment this remains only in theory. In any case, the VAG concern is one of the most popular manufacturers not only in Europe, but also in Russia, Asia and America, as evidenced by the steady growth in sales and stable profits in most world markets. Fans appreciate the cars of the brands that are part of the VAG for a combination of decent quality, improved functionality, stylish design and a wide price range. Manufacturers offer both relatively inexpensive and premium expensive cars for every taste.

Some facts about VAG

Fans of the concern will be interested to know a number of facts about the company:

• In 2005, enterprises produced a total of 5.22 million pieces of equipment
• In 2006, the profit of the VAG group amounted to 2.75 billion euros after deducting all costs.
• Since 2006, the company has been producing a number of Volkswagen models at the Kaluga plant.
• Despite the crisis of 2009, the company managed to increase the rate of car sales by 0.6 (this indicator demonstrates how seriously the work with customers is organized and sales markets are established).
• In 2010, the net profit of the plant amounted to 1.55 billion euros.
• The head office of the group is located in Wolfsburg.
• VAG automobile plants are located in 15 European countries, there are 48 such enterprises in total. In addition, the company owns 6 plants in Africa, the USA and Asia.
• There are also two museums of the concern in Wolfsburg, one of them is dedicated to the history of the cars ever produced by the company, and the second to production subtleties.

The official website of the VAG group of companies is located at: https://www.volkswagenag.com/

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Concern "Volkswagen" is by far the largest in the world. The VW Group owns many popular car companies and produces amazing cars that are in demand in all developed countries. Well, we should tell more about this largest concern.

The Volkswagen concern, or rather its headquarters, is located in Germany, in Wolfsburg. This name is translated as “people's car”. Very symbolic, because these cars are really in great demand.

Interestingly, as of September 2011, the concern's voting shares in the amount of 50.73% belong to a no less famous German holding. Which, as you might guess, is the Porsche SE. However, it should be noted that the concern "Volkswagen" owns all 100% of the ordinary shares of this holding. For a long time, negotiations were underway to combine VW and Porsche into a single structure. It was planned that it would be called that - VW-Porsche. But this did not happen (a little later this will be discussed).

Interestingly, Martin Winterkorn was both one and the second concern. But in September last, 2015, it ceased to be such.

The Volkswagen concern consists of as many as 342 companies that produce cars and provide other services related to cars. It's really impressive.

The beginning of the story

So, before talking about the composition of the Volkswagen concern, it is worth briefly telling about its history. Its creator is Ferdinand Porsche. In 1938, the first VW plant was built. Naturally, it was in Wolfsburg.

In 1960, on August 22, an LLC called Volkswagen Plants appeared. After the FRG was founded, this society became owned and the name was changed. On the traditional, which remains unchanged to this day. After that, Volkswagen AG began to engage not only in the manufacture of cars and motorcycles, but also in the provision of logistics and financial services. Moreover, this concern even had a small food production enterprise.

Further activities

The nineties were difficult years for many countries. Germany was no exception, and the concern - even more so. Volkswagen cars continued to be popular, but the company still experienced certain difficulties. But Ferdinand Piech, hired as a crisis manager, literally saved the firm. Until 2015, he led the financial processes. And it was this man who decided to expand the Volkswagen concern. The composition that we know today could not exist if Piech were not so enterprising and far-sighted.

In the late nineties, the company became even more famous, as then the Volkswagen Bentley division appeared, which produced Rolls-Royce cars. True, together with the Munich BMW, which then owned the rights to this brand. Since 2003, Volkswagen has not been doing this anymore - the BMW concern has finally bought out the Rolls-Royce brand.

Agreement with Suzuki

The brands of the Volkswagen concern are diverse, but many were surprised by the fact that in December 2009 the German company decided to create an alliance with the Japanese company Suzuki. But nothing much happened. The concerns simply exchanged shares (1/5 of all shares of the Japanese company went to the German company). And then they made an announcement for the joint development of special cars that can be safely classified as environmentally friendly. But the alliance did not last long. Not even two years had passed before the press officially announced that the companies had decided to break off business relations. It happened in 2011, in September.

Units established in the 20th century

The Volkswagen concern is the largest in Germany. Its main division is considered to be Volkswagen itself, which produces high-quality passenger cars. This group is not formalized as a subsidiary joint-stock company. This company reports directly to the management of the concern itself.

One of the most popular brands is also "Audi". Her Wolfsburg concern bought from Daimler-Benz a very long time ago - in 1964, to be more precise. Then, another company entered the Audi Division, bought five years later, in 1969. And it was NSU Motorenwerke. True, it did not exist on its own for so long - only until 1977.

In 1986 a new acquisition was made. The concern bought Seat (53 percent). To date, the Wolfsburg Corporation owns 99.99% of all these shares. That is, in fact, the Spanish company became the property of the German concern. Then, in 1991, VW also bought Skoda.

Divisions that arose in the late 90s

Separately, I would like to say about Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. This is an independent division, whose activities are controlled by the VW Group. However, it became such only after 1995, thanks to the efforts of the previous chairman of the board of the group, who was Bernd Weideman. Prior to this, the current division was part of the VW Group. Today it produces tractors, buses and minibuses.

In 1998, the concern acquired a company that is one that produces truly luxurious and rich cars. And it's a Bentley. The German concern acquired the British company together with Rolls-Royce, which was then sold to BMW (as described above).

Immediately after the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini were acquired. The Italian company was bought not by the Volkswagen concern itself, but by its subsidiary Audi. 1998 was remembered for really weighty and significant transactions.

Other divisions

Volkswagen cars are known all over the world. The magnate produces really good, high-quality, reliable, comfortable and beautiful cars. But the concern also sells dump trucks, buses, trucks, tractors and diesel engines. They are produced by Scania AB, which VW Group bought in 2009. About 71 percent of the company's shares belong to the Wolfsburg concern.

Another equally well-known manufacturer of truck tractors, as well as other vehicles, is MAN AG. Its controlling stake is also owned by a German company, and has been for five years now.

Now about Porsche. It was mentioned at the beginning, but it is worth returning to this topic. 49.9% of the shares of this company belonged to the VW Group in 2009. Then negotiations were held on the merger of these two powerful companies into a single entity. But this did not happen. VW Group still bought Porsche. Thus, the popular manufacturer became the 12th brand in the group. The purchase cost the Wolfsburg representatives almost 4.5 billion euros. I also had to “attach” one of my shares (ordinary) from above.

The company also owns the most popular manufacturer Motor Holding S.p.A.) and the studio ItalDesign Giugiaro. It was also bought not by the VW Group, but by Lamborghini. The rest of the shares (9.9%) continued to be the property of the relatives of Giorgetto Giugiaro (one of the founders of the atelier).

Case 2015

In September last year, there was a major scandal around the concern "Volkswagen". Then it turned out that about 11 million cars running on diesel units had software that was activated during testing. This software significantly reduced the amount of harmful gases emitted into the atmosphere. It turned out that the level of emitted nitrogen oxides is actually very high. This scandal around the concern "Volkswagen" flared up very quickly. The company has pleaded not guilty.

This software was installed on models with TDI units (series 288, 189 and 188). Cars were produced for 7 incomplete years - from 2008 to 2015. Such “defective” models turned out to be the well-known “Golfs” of the sixth generation, “Trade Winds” (seventh), as well as “Tiguan”, “Jetta”, Beetle and even “Audi A3”.

The violation was discovered while a research team from the University of West Virginia was studying the composition of exhaust gases that entered the atmosphere while driving.

Fine and punishment

Naturally, a fine was imposed on the Volkswagen concern for this. In total, the amount amounted to about 18 billion dollars. The calculation was made based on the number of cars. And the amount to be paid for one “defective” car is approximately $37,500. Yes, a considerable fine was awarded to the Volkswagen concern.

Another of the consequences can be noted a significant decrease in prices set for the shares of the concern. Many experts said that this case could affect the engineering industry of the whole country. Allegedly, the confidence of potential buyers may fall significantly in relation to cars produced in Germany, and the famous “German quality” will no longer be so reference.

So far, however, these predictions have not come true. Yes, and they are unlikely to come true. After all, German companies produce really good cars in all respects. Volkswagen has failed so far. Some downturns are still observed - sales due to the incident with this scandal fell by 5.2 percent at the end of last winter. This is in Germany. Worldwide sales fell by two percent. However, no one doubts - this is a temporary phenomenon.

Today we’ll talk about Volkswagen aktiengesellschaft, which literally translates from German as a Volkswagen joint-stock company. Yes, this is how VAG stands for, although in our country everyone is used to thinking that VAG is the Volkswagen Audi Group, but this is more of a popular name.

VAG is also sometimes called Volkswagen Konzern, Volkswagen Group, VW Group.

Let's see what is Volkswagen aktiengesellschaft. This joint-stock company includes 342 companies that are engaged in the production of cars and everything connected with it. There is a small legal confusion within the company, which does not give a clear picture of the owner of the concern. Volkswagen is partly owned by Porsche automobil Holding SE, 50.73% to be exact. In turn, Volkswagen AG owns 49.9% of Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH. That is, today it is such an automotive giant consisting of Volkswagen and Porsche. The company is even negotiating a merger into a single structure of Volkswagen Porsche.

Yet how is it that one company owns so many car brands? The thing is that at the end of the last century, Volkswagen experienced serious financial difficulties. In 1993, Ferdinand Piech was appointed chairman of the board of the concern, who helped the company get out of the deepest crisis.

He managed to optimize the work of the enterprise well and get out of the crisis while buying up weak car brands at that moment.

Which brands are included in the Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?

1. - produces passenger cars

2. - The company was bought from daimler-benz in 1964.

3. - the company was acquired in 1991.

4. is an Italian brand of passenger cars that was bought from the state in 1986.

5. Bentley - premium segment cars, the brand was purchased in 1998.

6.Lamborghini is a supercar company owned by Audi which bought it in 1998.

7.Porsche - we have already talked about the mess with the shares, but still it is believed that Porsches are part of Volkswagen.

8.Ducati Motor - a brand little known in the CIS, but very popular abroad, is engaged in the production of premium motorcycles, also acquired by Audi in 2012.

Scania AB - 70% of the shares were acquired in 2009, the company produces truck tractors and trucks, which by the way are in great demand in the Russian Federation

Man - 56% of the shares was acquired in 2011. The company is also engaged in the production of truck tractors, trucks, dump trucks and buses.

There is another company called Volkswagen comercial Vehicles that produces commercial vehicles. These are cars like the Volkswagen Crafter.

Some facts about VAG

2005 the concern produced 5.22 million vehicles

In 2006, the concern sold 5.72 million cars, net profit for this period amounted to 2.75 billion euros (Hello AvtoVAZ)

In the post-war years, when the factories of the automaker were under the control of the British administration, Henry Ford could become the owner of the company, but the deal did not take place - the Americans considered that the company "was not worth a penny", and their "people's" car "Beetle" absolutely did not correspond to technical parameters that must be presented to passenger cars. In subsequent years, VW showed how deeply wrong the overseas automotive gurus were.

In the early 50s, the automaker produced about 65% of all cars in Germany, which provided the company with a turnover of 1.4 billion dollars. The golden years were the 70s, when the company created two legendary models at once - the Passat and the Golf, where the latter became the founder of a whole class of cars.

The VW Group includes brands such as Volkswagen, Skoda, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Audi, Seat, Bentley, as well as Scania and MAN truck companies.

Where are VW cars assembled?

Initially, the production of "folk" cars was carried out directly in Germany, but in the course of the development of the brand, factories began to appear on other continents, in particular in South and North America, as well as in Africa. The pioneer was the company's plant, built in the city of San Bernard, in Brazil, where for more than 15 years they have been producing the legendary Beetle, and now there is one of the main offices responsible for the design of future brand cars.

Currently, Volkswagen automobile plants are located in 12 major countries, including: Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and a number of other countries. The company's revenue over the past few years far exceeds the mark of 60 billion euros, which allows the automaker to be called the largest automaker in the world.

The model range of the company consists of the following models:

Where is the Volkswagen Golf assembled?

VW Golf is the founder of golf-class cars, the latest generation of which is currently produced in Germany, in the city of Wolfsburg. At the same time, most of the cars of the previous generation were produced in Russia and Brazil.

Where are Volkswagen Passats assembled?

VW Passat is a full-size sedan, representative of the D-class. The assembly of cars of this model has now been established at factories in the cities of Kaluga (Russia), Emden and Mosel (Germany), Luanda (Angola), Solomonovo (Ukraine), and Changchun (China).

Where are Volkswagen Beetles assembled?

The VW Beetle is the company's iconic car, which is now produced in Mexico.

Where are Volkswagen Polos assembled?

VW Polo - represented by two modifications - "hatchback" and "sedan", the first is produced in Spain, Poland and Germany, and the second - mainly in Russia.

Where are Volkswagen Touaregs assembled?

VW Touareg is a full-fledged SUV, the production of which is now established in the cities of Bratislava (Slovakia) and Kaluga (Russia). The concept of the car is the basis of the luxury SUV Porsche Cayenne.

Where are Volkswagen Transporters assembled?

The VW Transporter is no less legendary than the Beatle model and can become a great commercial and family car. The production of the model is now presented in the cities of Hannover (Germany), Poznan (Poland) and Kaluga (Russia).

Where are Volkswagen Amarok assembled?

VW Amarok is a modern company car belonging to the pickup class. The model is produced in Hannover, as well as in the city of Pacheco, located in Argentina.

Where is the Volkswagen Jetta assembled?

VW Jetta is another popular model of the company, which combines the spaciousness of a sedan and the charge of a hatchback. Cars designed for the European and American markets are made in Mexico, but the Russians are offered models made in Russia at a plant in Kaluga.

Where are the Volkswagen Caddy assembled?

VW Caddy is an excellent commercial vehicle that is actively acquired by large companies, as well as small entrepreneurs. The assembly of the model is carried out in Germany, as well as in Russia, while in the first case the cars are delivered to the European, and in the second - to the Russian and Eastern markets.

VW is famous for its attitude to the quality of cars produced, so regardless of the country and city in which this or that model of the company is produced, it certainly meets strict corporate standards. This is achieved through the use of modern equipment, as well as strict quality control at all stages of assembly.

About thirty years ago, the famous American manager Lee Iacocca said that by the beginning of the 21st century, only a few players would remain in the global automotive market. The ex-president of Chrysler and Ford saw through the trends in the further development of the automotive industry, so it is not at all surprising that his predictions are confirmed.

The world's largest automakers and alliances

At first glance, it may seem that there are many independent automakers in the world, but in fact, most auto companies are part of various groups and alliances.

Thus, Lee Iacocca looked into the water, and today there are actually only a few automakers left in the world who have divided the entire global car market among themselves.

What brands are owned by Ford

Interestingly, the companies he headed - Chrysler and Ford - the leaders of the American auto industry, suffered the most serious losses during the economic crisis. And they had never been in such serious troubles before. Chrysler and General Motors went bankrupt, and only a miracle saved Ford. But for this miracle, the company had to pay too dear a price, because as a result, Ford lost its premium division Premiere Automotive Group, which included Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar. Moreover, Ford lost Aston Martin, the British supercar manufacturer, a controlling stake in Mazda, and liquidated the Mercury brand. And today, only two brands remain from the huge empire - Lincoln and Ford itself.

What brands belong to the auto concern General Motors

General Motors suffered no less serious losses. The American company lost Saturn, Hummer, SAAB, but its bankruptcy did not prevent it from defending the Opel and Daewoo brands. Today, General Motors includes such brands as Vauxhall, Holden, GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick. In addition, the Americans own the Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces the Chevrolet Niva.

Automaker Fiat and Chrysler

And the American concern Chrysler now acts as a strategic partner of Fiat, which has brought together such brands as Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo under its wing.

In Europe, things are somewhat different than in the US. Here the crisis has also made its own adjustments, but the position of the monsters of the European automobile industry has not been shaken by this.

What brands belong to the Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen is still accumulating brands. After buying Porsche in 2009, the Volkswagen Group has nine brands - Seat, Skoda, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, Audi, truck manufacturer Scania and VW itself. There is evidence that soon this list will include Suzuki, 20 percent of whose shares are already owned by the Volkswagen Group.

Brands owned by Daimler AG and BMW Group

As for the other two "Germans" - BMW and Daimler AG, they cannot boast of such an abundance of brands. Under the wing of Daimler AG are the brands Smart, Maybach and Mercedes, and the history of BMW includes Mini and Rolls-Royce.

Renault and Nissan Automobile Alliance

Among the world's largest automakers, one cannot fail to mention the Renault-Nissan alliance, which owns such brands as Samsung, Infiniti, Nissan, Dacia and Renault. In addition, Renault owns 25 percent of AvtoVAZ shares, so Lada is also not an independent brand from the French-Japanese alliance.

Another major French automaker, PSA, owns Peugeot and Citroen.

Japanese automaker Toyota

And among Japanese automakers, only Toyota, which owns Subaru, Daihatsu, Scion and Lexus, can boast of a “collection” of brands. Also part of Toyota Motor is the truck manufacturer Hino.

Who owns Honda

Honda's achievements are more modest. In addition to the motorcycle department and the premium Acura brand, the Japanese have nothing else.

Successful Auto Alliance Hyundai-Kia

In recent years, the Hyundai-Kia alliance has been successfully breaking into the list of leaders in the global automotive industry. Today, it produces cars only under the brands Kia and Hyundai, but the Koreans are already seriously engaged in creating a premium brand that could be called Genesis.

Acquisitions and mergers in recent years include the takeover of the Chinese brand Volvo by Geely, as well as the acquisition of the British premium brands Land Rover and Jaguar by the Indian company Tata. And even the most curious case is the purchase of the famous Swedish brand SAAB by the tiny Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.

The once powerful British auto industry is dead. All the famous British car manufacturers have long since lost their independence. Their example was followed by small English firms that passed to foreign owners. In particular, the legendary Lotus today belongs to Proton (Malaysia), and the Chinese SAIC bought MG. By the way, the same SAIC had previously sold the Korean SsangYong Motor to the Indian Mahindra&Mahindra.

All of these strategic partnerships, alliances, mergers and acquisitions have once again proven Lee Iacocca right. Single firms in the modern world are no longer able to survive. Yes, there are exceptions, like the Japanese Mitsuoka, the English Morgan or the Malaysian Proton. But these companies are independent only in the sense that absolutely nothing depends on them.

And in order to have annual sales amounting to hundreds of thousands of cars, not to mention millions, one cannot do without a strong “rear”. In the Renault-Nissan alliance, partners provide support to each other, while in the Volkswagen Group, mutual assistance is ensured by the number of brands.

As for such companies as Mitsubishi and Mazda, in the future they will face more and more difficulties. While Mitsubishi can get the help of partners from PSA, Mazda will have to survive alone, which in the modern world is becoming more and more difficult every day ...