Volkswagen (abbreviated as VW) is a German automobile manufacturer that appears in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and Midnight Club: Los Angeles. The company is headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and was founded in 1937. It was founded by the German Labour Front under the Nazi party, but it was revived as a global brand after World War II by British Army officer Ivan Hirst. The brand is known for the iconic Beetle and the Golf, and serves as the flagship brand of the larger Volkswagen Group, the largest global manufacturer in worldwide sales between 2016-2017. VW's biggest market is in China, which contributes 40% of their sales and profits. "Volkswagen" is derived from German language words "Volk" and "Wagen", which translate to "People" and "Car" respectively. The literal translation when combined is "people's car."[1]
Early History[]
Volkswagen was founded by the German Labour Front in 1937 as part of the Strength Through Joy program in Berlin. In the early 1930's, cars were considered a luxury and most Germans couldn't afford more than a motorcycle; only 1 out of 50 Germans owned a car at the time. Looking for a potential new market, other German car companies tried their own "people's car" projects - The Mercedes-Benz 170H, BMW 3/15, Adler Autobahn, Steyr 55 and Hanomag 1.3L, amongst many.[2]
Hungarian engineer, Béla Barényi, was credited for coming up with the first Beetle-design in the mid-1920s. Another car design, Jewish-German Josef Ganz, developed a car called the Standard Superior, going as far as to advertise it as the "German Volkswagen." Meanwhile, Ferdinand Porsche, a designer for high-end cars and race cars, was trying for many years to gain interest from manufacturers for producing a small family car. He built a car, the Volksauto, from scratch in 1933 by using many popular ideas and some of his own; he designed a car with an air-cooled rear engine, torsion bar suspension and a "beetle" shape, with the hood rounded off for better aerodynamics.
In 1934, while many companies were developing their own projects for the ultimate "People's Car," German dictator Adolf Hitler became involved and ordered the production of a basic vehicle. This vehicle was required to be capable of transporting up to 2 adults and 3 children at 100 KM/H (62 MPH), and Hitler wanted a vehicle that every German family could afford. The "People's Car" would be available through a savings plan of 990 Reichsmark (USD $396 in 1938) - which was the price of a small motorcycle. The average income for Germans during that time was around 32 Reichsmark per week.
However, the private industry wasn't able to produce a car for only 990 RM. So, Hitler chose to sponsor an all-new state owned factory using Porsche's design (with some of Hitler's suggestion, including an air-cooled engine so nothing would freeze). He intended for Germans to afford a car through a savings plan - in his words "Fünf Mark di Woche musst du sparen, willst du im eigenen Wagen fahren." (Translation: Five Marks you must set aside, if in your own car you wish to ride). However, when World War II broke out, none of the people on the savings plan ever received a car. A 1950 lawsuit occurred for 12 years, ultimately providing a 12% credit off the list price for a new base model VW, or 5-times less the value paid into the saving scheme.[3]
Vehicles[]
Midnight Club II[]
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition[]
Midnight Club: Los Angeles[]
Logo History[]
The Volkswagen logo has gone through 13 different designs over its history. The emblem contains the letters "V" (for 'Volks' - people) and "W" (for 'Wagen' - vehicle), with the "V" placed above the "W". The letters are enclosed in a circle. The color scheme is a combination of blue and white, white for the letters and blue for the background. This palette represents VW's professionalism and stability, with the main accent on quality. [4]
References[]
- ↑ Volkswagen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen
- ↑ Volkswagen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen
- ↑ Volkswagen History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen#History
- ↑ Volkswagen Logo https://1000logos.net/volkswagen-logo/
Related Content[]
| Manufacturers in Midnight Club | ||
| Parent Companies | General Motors · Stellantis | |
| American | Buick · Cadillac · Chevrolet · Chrysler · Dodge · Ford · GMC · Hummer · Hotmatch (Matt Hotch Designs) · Pontiac · Saleen · Scion · West Coast Choppers | |
| European | Aston Martin · Aprilia · Audi · BMW · Ducati · Gemballa · Lamborghini · Land Rover · Lotus · McLaren · Mercedes-Benz · Pagani · Volkswagen | |
| Japanese | Datsun · Honda · Infiniti · Lexus · Kawasaki · Mazda · Mitsubishi · Nissan · Toyota | |