VOLKSWAGEN — Advancing Everyday Mobility Through Engineering, Electrification and Innovation

Brand: Volkswagen
Country of Origin: Germany 🇩🇪
Founded: 1937
Industry: Automotive & Electric Mobility
Company: Volkswagen AG
Headquarters: Wolfsburg, Germany
CEO, Volkswagen Passenger Cars: Thomas Schäfer
Parent Group: Volkswagen Group
Official Website: Volkswagen
Featured By: ASIA Best Brands — Global Brands

About Volkswagen

Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest automotive brands, producing passenger cars, SUVs and electric vehicles for markets around the globe.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered approximately 4.73 million vehicles worldwide in 2025, including around 382,000 fully electric vehicles.

From the Beetle to a Global Automotive Brand

Volkswagen’s corporate history began in 1937, when the company that later became Volkswagenwerk was established under Germany’s National Socialist regime.

During World War II, the Volkswagen plant was integrated into wartime production and made extensive use of forced labour. After the war, British administration restarted civilian vehicle production at Wolfsburg in late 1945.

The Beetle subsequently became an international success, followed by generations of models including the Golf, Passat and Polo that helped establish Volkswagen as a major global automotive brand.

Golf, Polo and the Idea of Everyday Mobility

Volkswagen has built much of its identity around cars designed for broad everyday use.

The Golf, introduced in the 1970s, became one of the company’s defining products, while the Polo expanded Volkswagen into smaller vehicle segments.

SUVs now also play an important role. In 2025, they represented just over 50% of Volkswagen brand deliveries, with models such as the T-Roc, Tiguan and Tayron contributing to global demand.

Building the ID. Electric Family

Volkswagen entered a major new phase with the ID. family, built around the Modular Electric Drive Matrix, or MEB.

The range has expanded from the ID.3 into models including the ID.4, ID.5, ID.7 and ID. Buzz, combining electric propulsion with new digital features and dedicated EV architecture.

In 2025, Volkswagen delivered approximately 382,000 battery-electric vehicles worldwide. European EV deliveries rose strongly, supported particularly by the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.7.

Making Electric Cars More Accessible

Volkswagen unveils a new cockpit generation – debuting with the all-new ID. Polo. Image Source: Volkswagen Newsroom.

Volkswagen is now expanding its electric range into smaller and more affordable segments.

The all-electric ID. Polo entered the market in 2026, including an entry version with a 37-kWh battery and up to 334 km of WLTP range.

Volkswagen’s wider compact-electric programme also includes the ID. Cross, ID. Polo GTI, ID.3 Neo and ID.3 GTI, helping the brand extend electric mobility across more price and vehicle categories.

Software and the Digital Vehicle

Software is becoming increasingly important to Volkswagen vehicles.

In 2026, the company introduced an updated software generation across models including the ID.3 Neo, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7, adding features such as digital keys, an expanded app store, improved driver assistance and Vehicle-to-Load functionality.

The changes reflect Volkswagen’s broader effort to make digital services and software updates a more integrated part of the ownership experience.

China at the Centre of Volkswagen’s Asian Strategy

VW-SAIC reveal first MEB models for China. Image Source: electrive.

China is Volkswagen’s largest individual national market and has been central to the brand for more than four decades.

Its first Chinese joint venture, SAIC Volkswagen, was established in 1984, followed by FAW-Volkswagen in 1991 and Volkswagen Anhui in 2017.

Together with its joint-venture partners, the Volkswagen brand delivered approximately 2.015 million vehicles in China in 2025.

Volkswagen is now pursuing an “In China, for China” strategy, developing more vehicles and technologies specifically for local customers. In 2026 alone, the brand planned 13 new-energy vehicle launches across battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and range-extender technologies.

Brand Scale and Financial Performance

Volkswagen Passenger Cars generated €86.6 billion in sales revenue in 2025, while operating profit reached approximately €2.6 billion.

The wider Volkswagen Group generated €321.9 billion in revenue, but that figure includes brands and businesses beyond Volkswagen Passenger Cars and should not be treated as Volkswagen brand revenue.

For the first half of 2026, Volkswagen Passenger Cars reported:

• €42.3 billion in sales revenue
• €995 million in operating profit
• 1.53 million unit sales, excluding China and including external manufacturing

Why Volkswagen Is Featured on ASIA Best Brands

Volkswagen has evolved from a German mass-market manufacturer into one of the world’s most recognisable automotive brands.

From the Beetle, Golf and Polo to the ID. electric family, Volkswagen has repeatedly adapted its products to changing expectations around mobility, technology and efficiency.

Its deep presence in China and wider Asia, together with its expanding electric and digital vehicle strategy, gives the region an important role in Volkswagen’s future.

By combining engineering, accessibility, global scale and electrification, Volkswagen remains one of the world’s most influential automotive brands featured on ASIA Best Brands.

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Official Website: Volkswagen

Category: Automotive | Electric Vehicles | Mobility

Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen ID., Electric Vehicles, Golf, ID. Polo, Automotive Technology, China, German Automotive Brands, ASIA Best Brands

Sources

1. Volkswagen — Brand History
Official history covering Volkswagen’s 1937 origins, wartime history and post-war development.
Volkswagen History

2. Volkswagen — 2025 Global Deliveries
Official figures covering 4.73 million Volkswagen-brand deliveries and electric-vehicle performance.
Volkswagen 2025 Deliveries

3. Volkswagen Group — Annual Report 2025
Official financial information covering Volkswagen Passenger Cars revenue and operating result.
Volkswagen Group Annual Report 2025

4. Volkswagen — H1 2026 Results
Latest brand-level financial information covering Volkswagen Passenger Cars revenue and operating performance.
Volkswagen H1 2026 Results

5. Volkswagen — Electric Mobility
Official information covering the ID. family and Volkswagen’s current EV portfolio.
Volkswagen Electric Mobility

6. Volkswagen — ID. Polo
Official 2026 information covering Volkswagen’s new entry-level electric model.
Volkswagen ID. Polo

7. Volkswagen — China Operations
Official information covering Volkswagen’s joint ventures, manufacturing network and current product strategy in China.
Volkswagen Group China

8. Volkswagen Group — Current Leadership
Official information confirming Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume and the wider corporate structure.
Volkswagen Group Leadership