VW: 100 million cars and countingVenerable brand joins elite group of auto manufacturers whose output has stretched into nine digits.May 24, 2005: 9:12 AM EDT FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The 100 millionth Volkswagen rolled off a German assembly line Tuesday, entering the brand into an elite group of four car companies whose output has stretched into nine digits, Europe's biggest car manufacturer said. The Touran compact van with a silver metallic paint job that set the milestone at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg is only distantly related to the humble Volkswagen Beetle that became a global icon of affordable mobility after World War II. Volkswagen -- the name means "people's car" in German -- made just 1,800 Beetles in 1945 but eventually produced 21.5 million of the bug-shaped, bug-eyed vehicles. Output of the VW Golf, which became the company's subsequent workhorse, overtook the Beetle in 2002 and has hit 23 million. VW has also made 13 million Passats and 9 million Polos. Volkswagen makes cars and commercial vehicles in 14 plants around the world. It delivered just over 3 million vehicles to customers in more than 150 countries last year. Until now, only the Ford, Toyota and Chevrolet brands had made more than 100 million vehicles, a company spokesman said. Including other brands made by the group, VW passed the 100 million mark in September 1999. Production of all its units -- VW, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Audi, Seat, Lamborghini and commercial vehicles -- surpassed 125 million last year.
