Automobile concern Volkswagen. Who Owns Car Brands Vag Car Brands

Volkswagen Konzern (Rus. Concern "Volkswagen", in English-speaking sources - Volkswagen Group, sometimes VW Group - German automobile concern (group of companies). The parent (parent) company of the concern is Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, often known as Volkswagen AG (formerly VAG - the abbreviation stands for as Volkswagen Audi Gruppe. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company is named after the brand Volkswagen (German Volkswagen) - “people's car.” As of September 2011, 50.73% of the voting shares of Volkswagen AG belong to the holding Porsche SE Volkswagen AG owns 100% of the common shares of the intermediate holding Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH, and Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH owns 100% of the prestigious car manufacturer Porsche AG. Negotiations are under way to merge into a single VW-Porsche. Martin Winterkorn is currently underway is simultaneously the Chairman of the Management Board of Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG. Vol kswagen is made up of 342 car manufacturing and related services companies. According to the results of 9 months of 2009, it was the world's largest car manufacturer. Ranked 14th in the Fortune Global 500 (2009). From July 1998 to December 2002, a division of the Volkswagen Bentley group produced cars under the Rolls-Royce brand under an agreement with BMW, which acquired the rights to the brand from Vickers. Since 2003, only BMW has been able to produce cars under the Rolls-Royce brand. In December 2009, the Volkswagen Group entered into an alliance with Japanese Suzuki, exchanging with the latter stakes (the Germans received 20% of Suzuki shares) and announcing the joint development of environmentally friendly vehicles. Less than two years later, in September 2011, the collapse of this alliance was announced. Subdivisions of the Volkswagen group are: Volkswagen (passenger cars) - currently the part of the concern engaged in the production of passenger cars is not registered as a subsidiary joint-stock company, but is directly subordinate to the management of Volkswagen AG. Audi is the last car brand of the Auto Union group acquired from Daimler-Benz in 1964. NSU Motorenwerke - Acquired in 1969 and merged into the Audi Division. Not used as an independent brand since 1977. Seat - a controlling stake in the company (53%) was acquired from the state in 1986. Since 1990, the brand has practically been the property of the Volkswagen Group, which owns 99.99% of the company's shares. Škoda - the company was acquired in 1991. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge) - was part of Volkswagen AG, but in 1995, thanks to the efforts of Birnd Weideman, the previous chairman of the group, became an independent division within the Volkswagen Group. The division is engaged in the production of commercial vehicles: vans, buses and tractors. The Bentley company was acquired in 1998 from the British concern Vickers together with Rolls-Royce, but cannot independently produce cars under this brand, since the brand itself was sold to BMW. Bugatti - the brand was acquired in 1998. Lamborghini - The company was acquired by a subsidiary of Audi in 1998. Scania AB - the majority stake in the company (70.94%) was acquired in 2009. Manufactures truck tractors, trucks and dump trucks, buses and diesel engines. MAN AG - a controlling stake in the company (55.9%) was acquired in 2011. Manufacturer of semitrailer tractors, trucks and dump trucks, buses, diesel and hybrid engines. Porsche - 49.9% of Porsche AG acquired in 2009. By 2011, a merger with parent Porsche SE was planned to create a single integrated automobile company, but this did not happen. The merger of Porsche and Volkswagen has been postponed indefinitely. Finally, in 2012, Volkswagen completed the acquisition of Porsche, making it the 12th brand in the German group. The deal was closed after Volkswagen acquired 50.1 percent of Porsche's shares, which cost the concern 4.49 billion euros and one of its ordinary shares. Volkswagen Group is one of the largest shareholders of the Japanese company Suzuki Motor Corporation. Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. - one of the leading manufacturers of premium motorcycles, acquired by the Volkswagen Group division - Audi AG - on April 18, 2012 from Investindustrial SpA for $ 1.1 billion. Also, as of 2013, Volkswagen is the owner of the Russian Moskvich trademark. Volkswagen retains the right to use the brand and all emblems until 2021. In March 1991, in order to optimize the organizational structure, Volkswagen forms an internal division called Volkswagen Finanz, which in January 1994 becomes independent within the concern as a closed joint stock company Volkswagen Financial Services. 100% of the share capital belongs to the Volkswagen Group. As a banking and financial structure, Volkswagen Financial Services gains access to international financial markets and the opportunity to finance projects on favorable terms. Currently, the financial division of the Group, Volkswagen Financial Services, is the largest financial operator in the European automotive market, headquartered in Braunschweig. The assets of Volkswagen Financial Services as of December 31, 2009 amounted to more than 60.2 billion euros. Volkswagen Financial Services employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, including 3,600 in Germany itself. The division is engaged in: financing of production and purchase of cars for private and corporate clients (Volkswagen Bank); providing banking services to private and corporate clients (Volkswagen Bank direct / Audi Bank direct); provision of insurance services to private and corporate clients (Volkswagen Bank GmbH / Volkswagen-Versicherungsdienst: Volkswagen Bank, Audi Bank, Seat Bank, Škoda Bank); provision of leasing services to private and corporate clients (Volkswagen Leasing); fleet management (Volkswagen Leasing / LeasePlan Corporation); In 2010, the Volkswagen Group's revenue amounted to € 57.243 billion, net profit - € 1.55 billion. In 2009, despite the global crisis and a general decline in car sales, the company managed to increase its car sales worldwide by 0.6%. This is a record of sales, which reached 6.23 million vehicles. In 2006, the concern sold 5.72 million vehicles worth € 104.9 billion (net profit for this period was € 2.75 billion). More than 370 thousand people work at the enterprises of the Group. In 2005, the concern produced 5219.5 thousand and sold 5192.6 thousand cars. 7.5% of sales were in Germany, 44.7% in Europe, 15% in North America, 6.6% in Asia Pacific, 4.4% in South America and 1.8% in Africa. Revenues in 2005 amounted to € 95.3 billion, an increase of 7% compared to 2004, net profit - € 1.12 billion (€ 697 million in 2004). Manufacturing The Volkswagen Group owns 48 car manufacturers in 15 European countries and six countries in America, Asia and Africa. More than 370 thousand people work at the enterprises of the group, more than 26`600 cars are produced daily, authorized sales and service of cars are carried out in more than 150 countries of the world. In May 2009, plans for a corporate merger between Porsche AG and Volkswagen were announced. At this stage, negotiations are suspended due to lack of clarity on the financial situation of Porsche. Volkswagen Group in Russia On May 29, 2006 Volkswagen Group signed an investment agreement with the administration of the Kaluga region and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia on the construction of an automobile plant near the city of Kaluga, in the Grabtsevo technopark. At the end of July 2007, the EBRD, one of the project's lenders, estimated the total cost of the project, including the costs of organizing the production of components, at € 1.042 billion. Initially, the plant, opened on November 28, 2007, produced Škoda Octavia cars in the amount of no more than 20 thousand cars a year using SKD technology (Semi Knocked Down - assembly of cars from large blocks or "large-scale assembly"). In October 2009, the plant launched a complete line for the assembly of CKD cars (Completely Knocked Down - complete assembly of a car from finished parts, including body welding). At first, the Škoda Octavia and Volkswagen Tiguan cars were produced using the CKD method, in 2010 the Škoda Fabia was launched into production and was specially developed for the Russian market. Volkswagen polo sedan. It is expected that after the opening of a new production facility, the plant will be able to produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year (including Audi A4, A5, Q5, A6 and Q7 - all by SKD). The number of employees at the plant in 2010 will be increased to 3 thousand people. On January 12, 2009, a reorganization took place in the form of the merger of two Russian subsidiaries. Volkswagen Group Rus LLC was joined by Volkswagen Rus LLC. The first one was registered in Moscow in 1999 (until 2003 it was named Volkswagen Group Automobiles LLC) and was an import structure that managed sales and after-sales service of cars. The second was created in 2006 in Kaluga to manage a new plant where Volkswagen and Škoda cars are assembled. According to the company, the merger will simplify coordination between Kaluga and Moscow, as well as unite personnel and finance. Dietmar Kortsekva (since 2010 - Markus Ozegovich) became the CEO of the new structure. In October 2009, SKD assembly of the following models was carried out at the Kaluga plant: Skoda Octavia, Octavia Combi, Octavia Tour, Octavia RS, Octavia Scout, Škoda Superb, Škoda Roomster, Škoda Fabia, Škoda Fabia Combi, Škoda Yeti, Volkswagen Passat, Volkswagen Passat CC, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Touareg, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen T5, Volkswagen T5 lang, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Caddy maxy. Since 2012, Volkswagen began to produce cars at the GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod... A cooperation agreement with the Russian GAZ Group was signed on June 14, 2011. Nizhny Novgorod plans to produce the brands Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia and Škoda Yeti. At the beginning of 2013, a full cycle production was mastered in Nizhny Novgorod Skoda yeti... Other models are on the way in the near future. At the end of October 2009, Volkswagen Group Rus LLC announced work on a budget B-class sedan project based on the Polo hatchback specifically for the Russian market. At the beginning of June 2010, it became known about the practical readiness of the car, called the Volkswagen Polo sedan. The car was put into production at the plant in Kaluga in the summer of 2010.

Many drivers faced with the abbreviation VAH do not understand what it means. This abbreviation is the name of a large Volkswagen concern, which, in addition to the car plant of the same name, includes several hundred companies producing cars, trucks and off-road vehicles. The name VAG in full sounds like the Volkswagen Audi Gruppe. It originated from two concerns, the merger of which happened before the formation of other brands. In the world there are many car fans 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 print media.

Today, there are 342 car companies in the community: this will help to understand what VAG is and what the scale of such an enterprise is. According to reports, half of Volkswagen's 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 F. Piech's appointment as chairman of the board, which helped the manufacturer to get out of the difficult crisis. One of the methods was buying car brands, which at that time seemed hopeless and just starting to fight for competitive places. All this, coupled with competent management and stricter quality control, has 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 in this company? With the help of the resources of this automobile concern, the following car brands are produced:

• Volkswagen is a plant that produces passenger cars.
• AUDI is a brand previously owned by the Daimler group, but acquired in 1964.
• Seat - the brand was bought in full in 1990, before that the company had bought a controlling stake four years earlier.
• Skoda is a passenger car manufacturer acquired in 1991.
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is a dedicated business unit that manufactures buses, vans and trucks for commercial purposes and the transport of goods.
• Bugatti is a brand purchased in 1998.
• Bentley is a company acquired from a British owner in the same year as the previous firm.
• Lamborghini is an Italian high-speed passenger car plant bought by a subsidiary of Audi in 1998.
• Ducati is a Mediterranean luxury motorcycle manufacturer acquired by Audi in 2012. According to press reports, the purchase cost more than $ 1.1 billion.
• Porsche - almost half of the shares of this manufacturer belong 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 the Lamborghini division 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. The block of shares, accounting for almost 71% of the total, was repurchased in 2009.
• MAN is another plant engaged in the production of dump trucks, trucks, the production of hybrid motors and diesel power units of increased power.
• NSU Motorenwerke is a brand that was purchased in 1969 but is not used as an independent automotive brand.

Analysts say that a complete merger of Volkswagen and Porsche can be expected in the near future, but at the moment this remains only a 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 large 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 concern was 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 figure demonstrates how seriously the work with clients is organized and the sales markets are established).
• In 2010, the plant's net profit was 1.55 billion euros.
• The head office of the concern is located in Wolfsburg.
• VAG car factories are located in 15 European countries, in total there are 48 such enterprises. In addition, the company owns 6 factories in Africa, the USA and Asia.
• In Wolfsburg, there are also two museums of the concern, one of them is devoted 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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In the very early days of the automotive industry, all car manufacturers were of course independent from one another. But . As a result, more successful car companies started buying competing auto brands. Subsequently, the world's largest conglomerates began to be created in the auto industry, which to this day are the largest auto companies in the world in terms of the number of products produced and, of course, in terms of sales. Let's take a look at the current state of the global auto business. We invite you to find out which famous and popular ones are currently under the control of large corporations and auto alliances.

Abarth - Owned by Fiat / Chrysler

Abarth was founded in 1949. Initially, the auto brand was engaged in the production of racing cars and the production of auto components for powerful Vehicle... In 1971, the founder of the company, Carlo Abat, sold his brand to the company. Abarth is currently producing more powerful versions based on Fiat vehicles.

Alfa Romeo - Owned by Fiat / Chrysler

At the moment, the Audi brand is the largest part of the world's largest auto concern Volkswagen.

Bentley - Owned by Volkswagen

Ferrari - Owned by Fiat

In 1969, Fiat acquired a 50% stake in Ferrari after Ford's planned buyout of the Italian premium brand was canceled. Ultimately, Fiat increased its stake to 90%. In 2014, Fiat Chrysler decided to separate the brand from the main group. As a result, the deal was completed in 2016, and the Agnelli family, who founded Fiat, became the largest shareholder of Ferrari.

Infiniti - Owned by Nissan

Lamborghini - owned by Volkswagen

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lamborghini was owned by the Chrysler concern. Currently part of the Volkswagen Group. Lamborghini became part of this company in 1998, when the brand came under control.

Land Rover - Owned by TATA

Land Rover has been owned by many well-known automotive brands throughout the long history of the automotive industry, from and ending with the American company Ford. But in 2008, the Land Rover brand, along with Jaguar, came under the control of Indian industrial giant Tata. Immediately after the takeover, the two independent brands and Jaguar were merged into one company.

Lexus - Owned by Toyota

Lexus is wholly owned by Toyota. The brand is a luxury division of a Japanese company. Like Acura, Infiniti, which are owned and, accordingly, Lexus brand was brought to market to enter the premium car market in the US as well as the UK.

Lotus - Owned by Proton

Malaysian automaker Proton bought the company in 1993 from Italian businessman Romano Artioli (who owned Bugatti in those years). Today, the Lotus brand is still owned by Proton. The strangest thing is that Lotus cars are still produced and sold all over the world (mainly in England), while the production of cars under the Proton brand was discontinued.

Maserati - Belongs to Fiat-Chrysler

Maserati has been a 100% subsidiary of Fiat since 1993. Today it belongs to the auto concern Fiat-Chrysler.

Mercedes - Owned by Daimler

Mercedes-Benz is the largest and best-known automobile brand in the Daimler corporation. Daimler also owns several commercial vehicle manufacturers.

MG - Owned by Saic

MG is owned by a Chinese company after MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005. Initially, the MG brand was bought by the Chinese company Nanjing Automobile, but then it was bought by the Shanghai company SAIC.

Mini - Owned by BMW

In 2000, BMW sold their MG, Rover and Land Rover brands, which are known to be part of the Rover Group. But on the sale, BMW retained control of Mini. As a result, today BMW, in addition to Rolls-Royce, retains control over the brand.

Mitsubishi - Owned by Nissan-Renault

Mitsubishi Motors is the automotive division of the Mitsubishi Group, which, in addition to the automotive industry, is involved in projects in nuclear power, banking and many other business areas. In October 2016, Nissan became the largest shareholder in the company by purchasing 34% of the shares. This is how Mitsubishi became part of the Renault-Nissan auto alliance.

Nissan - Belongs to Renault-Nissan auto alliance

After several years of financial difficulties, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault in 1993. Technically, the two companies are separate. But the technologies, methods of work in the production of cars are the same. Autoalliance also has a single CEO, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan has a smaller stake in Renault, while Renault has a larger stake in Nissan, which is essentially a junior partner.

Porsche - Owned by Volkswagen

The car manufacturer is a subsidiary of Volkswagen.

Renault - Belongs to the Renault-Nissan alliance

Renault was once owned by the French government. In 1996 the company was privatized. But today France still has a stake in Renault. Today Renault is part of the world's largest auto alliance Renault-Nissan, which Mitsubishi also recently joined.

Rolls-Royce - Owned by BMW

Rolls-Royce Motors was bought by Volkswagen in 1998. Five years later, the company was taken over by BMW.

Seat - Owned by Volkswagen

Since 1986 it has been the single largest car manufacturer in Spain. Since this year, the company is part of Volkswagen.

Skoda - Owned by Volkswagen

Volkswagen began buying Skoda shares in 1991, at a time of great change in the former Czechoslovakia. Since 2000, Skoda has been wholly owned by the VW Group.

Smart - Owned by Daimler

Initially, the idea of ​​a radical city car was first proposed by the owner of the watchmaker Swatch. Smart is now wholly owned by Daimler.

SsangYong - Owned by Mahindra & Mahindra

While SsangYong is still based in South Korea, the Korean auto brand is currently dominated by the Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra, which acquired 70% of the Korean company in 2011.

Subaru - Owned by Fuji

Subaru is owned by Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), which will soon change its name to Subaru Corporation. FHI has six independent automotive companies. The major shareholders of the company are Toyota and Suzuki. Suzuki has a large share.

Vauxhall / Opel - Owned by PSA (Citroen-Peugeot)

Vauxhall cars / although marketed as British and German car brands, in fact have long been part of the world's largest automaker General Motors. General Motors has owned the Vauxhall / Opel brands since 1925. In March 2017, it was announced that the Vauxhall / Opel brands were being taken over by the Citroen-Peugeot Auto Alliance (PSA).

Volvo - Owned by Geely

After more than 70 years Volvo was a fully independent Swedish car brand, in 2000 it became part of Ford, which after 9 years sold the Swedish brand to the Chinese company Geely.

Lada AvtoVAZ - Belongs to the Renault-Nissan and Rostec alliance

In 2008, Renault received a controlling stake over the AvtoVAZ car plant.

GAZ - Belongs to Basic Element, Oleg Deripaska

In 2000, a controlling stake in GAZ OJSC was acquired by Basic Element, Oleg Deripaska. In 2001, the Gorky Automobile Plant became part of the RusPromAvto auto holding.

To a person who is not particularly interested in cars, it may seem that there are a large number of independent car manufacturers in the world. In fact, among the car brands can be distinguished giant concerns and alliances, which include several car manufacturers. So let's see who belongs to whom among the car brands.

ConcernVolkswagen

The parent company of the concern is VolkswagenAG... Volkswagen AG fully owns the intermediate holding Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH, which owns the prestigious car manufacturer PorscheA.G. Well, 50.73% of the shares of Volkswagen AG itself belong to the Porsche S.E. holding, which is owned by the Porsche and Piëch families - the descendants of the company founder Ferdinand Porsche and his sister Louise Piëch. The Volkswagen concern also includes companies Audi(purchased from Daimler-Benz) SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini... Plus truck and bus manufacturers MAN(Volkswagen owns 55.9% of the shares) and Scania (70,94%).

CompanyToyota

The president of the Japanese company Toyota Motor Corp. is Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder. 6.29% of the company's shares are owned by The Master Trust Bank of Japan, 6.29% by Japan Trustee Services Bank, 5.81% by Toyota Industries Corporation, plus 9% are treasury shares. Among Japanese manufacturers, Toyota owns the largest number of brands: Lexus(the company was created by Toyota itself as a manufacturer of luxury cars), Subaru, Daihatsu , Scion(cars with youthful design for sale in the USA) and Hino(manufactures trucks and buses).

CompanyHonda

Another Japanese automaker Honda owns only one brand, and that was created by Honda itself for the production of luxury cars - Acura.

ConcernPeugeot -Citroen

The concern is the second largest car manufacturer in Europe after Volkswagen. The largest shareholders of the concern are the Peugeot family - 14% of the shares, the Chinese car manufacturer DongFeng - 14% and the French government - 14%. As for the relationship of companies within the concern, Peugeot SA owns 89.95% of Citroen shares.

AllianceRenault-Nissan

The Renault-Nissan Alliance was founded in 1999 and is a strategic partnership between companies in the field of mechanical engineering development. As for the owners of the companies, 15.01% of Renault shares are owned by the French government and 15% - by Nissan. Renault's share in Nissan, in turn, is 43.4%. Renault controls partially or completely the following brands: Dacia (99,43%), SamsungMotors (80,1%), AvtoVAZ(more than 50% of shares).

Nissan controls only its division. Infiniti, engaged in the production of prestigious cars, and the brand Datsun which currently produces budget cars for sale in India, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia.

ConcernGeneralMotors

The American concern General Motors currently owns the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall... In addition, GM's subsidiary GM Auslandsprojekte GMBH owns a 41.6% stake in GM-AvtoVAZ's joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces Chevrolet Niva vehicles.

The concern is currently controlled by the state (61% of shares). The remaining shareholders of the concern are the United Auto Workers' Union of the USA (17.5%), the Government of Canada (12%). The remaining 9.5% of the shares are owned by various large creditors.

CompanyFord

Ford is currently controlled by the Ford family and holds 40% of the shares. William Ford Jr., great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, serves as chairman of the company's board of directors. Prior to the 2008 crisis, Ford owned brands such as Jaguar, Lincoln, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin, as well as 33% of the Japanese Mazda. Due to the crisis, all brands, with the exception of Lincoln, were sold, and the stake in Mazda was reduced to 13% (and in 2010 - generally to 3%). Jaguar and Land Rover were bought by the Indian company Tata Motors, Volvo by the Chinese Geely, Aston Martin was sold to a consortium of investors, in fact, becoming an independent brand. As a result, at the moment, Ford only owns the brand. Lincoln, which produces luxury cars.

ConcernFiat

The Italian concern has collected such brands as AlfaRomeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Lancia... Plus, in early 2014, Fiat completely bought the American automaker Chrysler together with stamps Jeep, Dodge and Ram... The largest owners of the concern today are the Agnelli family (30.5% of shares) and Capital Research & Management (5.2%).

ConcernBmw

At the end of the 50s of the last century, the Bavarian concern BMW was at great losses. At this time, one of the BMW shareholders, industrialist Herbert Quandt, bought a large stake in the company and actually saved it from bankruptcy and sale to its eternal rival, Daimler. The Kvant family still owns 46.6% of the concern's shares today. The remaining 53.3% of the company's shares are traded on the market. The concern owns brands such as Rolls-Royce and MINI.

ConcernDaimler

The main shareholders of the concern are the Arab investment fund Aabar Investments (9.1%), the government of Kuwait (7.2%) and the Emirate of Dubai (about 2%). Daimler produces branded cars Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart... The concern also owns 15% of the shares of the Russian truck manufacturer - the company " Kamaz».

ConcernHyundai

The largest car manufacturer in South Korea, in addition to its own brand, also owns 38.67% of the brand's shares. KIA(the company is part of the Hyundai Motor Group).

Independent car manufacturers

Among the popular brands that do not have any alliances, and do not own other brands, there are three Japanese automakers - Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki.

However, today's realities show that in the future it will be more and more difficult for independent automakers to survive. To sell your vehicles around the world, you need to have a solid “foundation” that is provided either by partners or by a batch of several brands. Thirty years ago, legendary manager Lee Iacocca, who was once president of Ford and chairman of the board of Chrysler, suggested that by the beginning of the 21st century, only a small number of automakers would remain in the world.

Today the Volkswagen concern is the largest car manufacturer in Europe and the second in the world.

Today, the German group, which once began with the release of ultra-budget "Zhukov", offers products for any buyer. All this thanks to the unification of several brands under a single leadership.

The corporate portfolio of the group includes eight legendary brands, most of which at one time found themselves in a difficult financial situation. The companies were forced to enter into an alliance with the German manufacturer as it was a matter of their survival.

Volkswagen

The brand was founded by Adolf Hitler in 1938. Today it specializes in the mass segment. The most famous models: Golf, Passat, Polo, Tiguan.

Audi

Specializes in the premium segment. The brand was joined to Volkswagen in 1964. The most famous models: A4, A6, R8. In 1993, the management company Audi AG acquired the Ducati and Lamborghini brands, while remaining the property of Volkswagen.

Porsche

Specializes in premium and super premium segments. Although he was one of the founders of the first Volkswagen plant, the merger of the company he created to the German giant took place only in 2007. Today the allies are mutual shareholders. The most famous models: Cayenne, Panamera.

Bentley

In 1929, the English premium car manufacturer was sold to Rolls-Royce. In 1997, after the financial crisis, the Rolls-Royce brand was sold to BMW, and the Bentley brand went to Volkswagen. The most famous models: Continental GT, Flying Spur.

Skoda

This brand survived the German occupation, the Soviet era and was merged with Volkswagen in 1991. The change of the strategic partner allowed to increase production by 5 times. Today Skoda specializes in the mass budget segment. The most famous models: Octavia, Fabia, Yeti.

SEAT

In 1986, due to financial difficulties, the Italian concern FIAT sold 99.9% of the shares of the Spanish automaker to the Volkswagen group. Today the brand specializes in the mass segment. The most famous models: Ibiza, Leon.

Lamborghini

At the turn of the 60-70s. of the last century, the Italian sports car manufacturer changed owners several times. In 1998, the brand was bought by Audi AG and found itself under the wing of Volkswagen. The most famous models: Aventador, Huracan.

Bugatti

In 1956 this legendary brand actually ceased to exist. In the late 80s, Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli revived production and in 1998 sold the asset to the Volkswagen concern. Today the brand specializes in the super premium segment. Best known model: Veyron

What other companies does Volkswagen own?

• MAN- a manufacturer of trucks, truck tractors, dump trucks, buses, hybrid and diesel engines;
• Scania- manufacturer of trucks, truck tractors, dump trucks, buses and diesel engines;
• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles- manufacturer of commercial vehicles (buses, minibuses, tractors);
• Ducati motor- motorcycle manufacturer;
• ItalDesign Giugiaro- automotive design studio.

For some time, there were rumors about Volkswagen's intention to buy the Italian-American alliance Fiat-Chrysler to become the world's largest automaker, but the deal never materialized.