Volkswagen research

Volkswagen history: from the Beetle to the ID. Buzz

By CarWhere Research · Updated

Volkswagen was founded on May 28, 1937 and renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH in 1938. Series production of the Beetle began on December 27, 1945. The brand reached the US in 1949, built the Rabbit in Pennsylvania from 1978 to 1988, and has assembled cars in Chattanooga since 2011, including the ID.4 from 2022.

Volkswagen history timeline

Milestones link to a full history page with years and production numbers, key variants, what changed and what to check before you buy one.

  1. 1937

    Company founded

    On May 28, 1937, the company that became Volkswagen was established in Berlin; it was renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH on September 16, 1938, and work on the main plant began that February. From 1939 the plant produced armaments.[1],[2]

  2. 1945

    Beetle series production

    Series production of the Volkswagen sedan (Type 1), the Beetle, began on December 27, 1945 under British trusteeship. It ended in Mexico in 2003 after 21,529,464 were built.[2]

  3. 1949

    The first Volkswagens in America

    Dutch businessman Ben Pon arrived in New York with two Type 1 Volkswagens in 1949.[3]

  4. 1950

    Type 2 Transporter

    Mass production of the Transporter (Type 2), the bus, began in Wolfsburg on March 8, 1950, with a 25-hp air-cooled rear engine.[4]

  5. 1955

    Volkswagen of America

    Volkswagen of America, Inc. was founded on October 27, 1955, to organize dealers and provide parts and service. Its first “Think Small” ad ran in 1959.[3],[4]

  6. 1974

    Golf, sold in the US as the Rabbit

    The Golf was presented to the media in 1974 and came to America as the Rabbit. The one-millionth Golf was built on October 27, 1976.[3],[5]

  7. 1976

    Golf GTI

    After its 1975 Frankfurt show debut, the Golf GTI went on sale in Germany in June 1976 with 110 PS.[6]

    Volkswagen Golf GTI generations (Mk1–Mk8) history →

  8. 1978

    Westmoreland plant

    Golf production for North America began at Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, in April 1978. The plant built more than 1.1 million Rabbits, plus the Rabbit GTI, and closed in 1988.[3],[5],[7]

  9. 1979

    Jetta

    The Wolfsburg plant began building the Jetta, a Golf-based notchback sedan, on September 3, 1979.[5]

  10. 1998

    New Beetle

    After the Concept 1 study, Volkswagen launched the New Beetle in 1998.[3]

  11. 2004

    R32 in the US

    The Golf R32 came to the US for the 2004 model year, the start of the R line in America.[8]

    Volkswagen Golf R generations (R32 to Mk8 Golf R) history →

  12. 2008

    Chattanooga approved

    Volkswagen AG approved a Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, built for 150,000 vehicles a year, 20 years after Westmoreland closed. Ground was broken in 2008.[3],[9]

  13. 2011

    Chattanooga opens

    Chattanooga built its first customer vehicle, a Passat, in April 2011 and held its grand opening in May 2011. It built its one-millionth vehicle, a 2020 Passat, in June 2020.[10]

  14. 2016

    Atlas

    Chattanooga began assembling the Atlas, Volkswagen’s first seven-passenger SUV built in America, in 2016. The Atlas Cross Sport was announced as its third model in 2018.[3],[10]

  15. 2022

    ID.4 built in Tennessee

    In July 2022 Chattanooga began assembling the ID.4, Volkswagen’s first electric vehicle built in the US.[3],[10]

  16. 2023–2025

    ID. Buzz

    Volkswagen announced the three-row ID. Buzz for the US in 2023; it went on sale as a 2025 model.[3],[11]

Golf GTI generations at a glance

Volkswagen AG generation dates and European output; US model years from EPA listings[6],[12],[13],[14]
GenerationLaunchEuropean outputUS model years
Mk11976110 PSRabbit GTI
Mk21984112 PS (129 PS 16V)1985–1992
Mk31991115–150 PS1993, 1995–1999
Mk41998150 PS1999–2005
Mk52004200 PS2006–2009
Mk62009210 PS2010–2014
Mk72013220–245 PS2015–2021
Mk82020245–265 PS (US: 241 hp)2022–2027

Full detail and buying advice: Volkswagen Golf GTI generations (Mk1–Mk8) history.

Golf R generations in the US

US model years from EPA listings and Volkswagen of America[8],[13],[14],[15]
GenerationUS model yearsEngine
R32 (Mk4)20043.2L six
R32 (Mk5)20083.2L six
Golf R (Mk6)2012–20132.0L turbo four
Golf R (Mk7)2015–20192.0L turbo four, 288 hp (final)
Golf R (Mk8)2022–20272.0L turbo four, 315–328 hp

Full detail and buying advice: Volkswagen Golf R generations (R32 to Mk8 Golf R) history.

Every Volkswagen model history

Performance Golf

How to check a Volkswagen's factory build

Standardized 17-character VINs began with model year 1981[16]. For a 1981-or-later Volkswagen, CarWhere can check a VIN for licensed factory build data and, when it exists, list the equipment the vehicle was built with in plain English: see the Volkswagen build sheet by VIN. Coverage varies by VIN and model year. Earlier vehicles are identified by their original serial number, vehicle data plate and engine stampings instead.

Frequently asked questions

When was Volkswagen founded?

On May 28, 1937, as the “Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens”. It was renamed Volkswagenwerk GmbH on September 16, 1938.

When did the Beetle go into production?

Series production began on December 27, 1945, in Wolfsburg. It ended in Mexico in 2003 after 21,529,464 Beetles were built.

When did Volkswagen come to America?

Ben Pon brought two Type 1 Volkswagens to New York in 1949, and Volkswagen of America was founded in 1955.

Why was the Golf called the Rabbit in the US?

Rabbit was the Golf’s American name. From April 1978 it was built at Volkswagen’s Westmoreland, Pennsylvania plant, which closed in 1988.

Where are Volkswagens built in the US?

In Chattanooga, Tennessee. The plant opened in 2011 and has built the Passat, the Atlas, the Atlas Cross Sport and, since July 2022, the electric ID.4.

When did the ID. Buzz come to the US?

Volkswagen announced it in 2023, and it went on sale in the US as a 2025 model.

More Volkswagen research

Sources

Production figures, dates and ratings come from Volkswagen AG and Volkswagen of America press and heritage materials, official race results and reputable automotive press wherever available. References marked secondary are encyclopedic or enthusiast sources used only where a primary figure was not available. Market medians are CarWhere's own analysis of live US dealer listings from licensed vehicle-data providers.

  1. Volkswagen Chronicle: 1937 to 1945 – Founding of the Company — Volkswagen AG (volkswagen-group.com)
  2. 75 years ago in Wolfsburg: Start of series production of the Volkswagen Beetle — Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen Newsroom)
  3. Our heritage: timeline of Volkswagen in the United States — Volkswagen of America (vw.com)
  4. Volkswagen Chronicle: 1950 to 1960 – Internationalisation and mass production — Volkswagen AG (volkswagen-group.com)
  5. Volkswagen Chronicle: 1973 to 1981 – The shift to models with water-cooled engines — Volkswagen AG (volkswagen-group.com)
  6. Golf GTI history — Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen Newsroom)
  7. Volkswagen Chronicle: 1982 to 1991 – New brands, new markets — Volkswagen AG (volkswagen-group.com)
  8. Twenty Years of VW’s Hottest Hatch – the Golf R — Volkswagen of America (vw.com Newsroom)
  9. Volkswagen Chronicle: 1992 to 2015 — Volkswagen AG (volkswagen-group.com)
  10. Inside Chattanooga: The Road to Electrification (timeline) — Volkswagen of America (vw.com Newsroom)
  11. 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz model page — Volkswagen of America (vw.com)
  12. Content Creator Days vehicle information: 50 Years of the Sporty Golf (PDF) — Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen Newsroom)
  13. Keeping driving fun alive in the 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R — Volkswagen of America (vw.com Newsroom)
  14. Volkswagen model listings by model year, 1984–2027 (GTI, Golf/GTI, GTI 16v, GTI VR6, R32, Golf R) — U.S. EPA / DOE (fueleconomy.gov)
  15. 2026 Volkswagen Golf R model page — Volkswagen of America (vw.com)
  16. 49 CFR Part 565 — Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) requirements — eCFR (U.S. Government)

Independent reference compiled by CarWhere Research — not affiliated with or endorsed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. or Volkswagen AG. Volkswagen and the model names are trademarks of their owners.