Friday, April 28, 2006

Production Anniversary at Volkswagen: 14 Millionth Passat

Text and photo from Volkswagen AG.
14 million Passat produced

Emden/Wolfsburg, 27 April 2006 - Volkswagen in Emden today produced the 14 millionth Passat worldwide. The model is one of the most popular mid-range cars and currently the most successful vehicle in its class in Germany.

“The Passat guarantees safety, quality and economy“, said Plant Manager Siegfried Fiebig as the vehicle left the production line. This is confirmed by numerous accolades from experts, journalists and customers who have put the car through its paces in recent months. The anniversary vehicle is a reflex silver 103 kW (140 bp) Passat Variant Highline 4-Motion.

Worldwide, Volkswagen currently produces 2,900 vehicles from various Passat series every working day at the plants in Emden, Zwickau/Mosel, Shanghai (China) and Anchieta (Brazil).

Last year, Europe’s leading automaker delivered some 600,000 Passat to customers all over the world. The main markets in Europe include Germany, UK, France, Spain and Italy. The main sales areas for the Passat outside Europe are Asia and the USA.

Volkswagen in Emden
The Volkswagen Emden plant produces the Passat Limousine and is the only plant to produce the Passat Variant. 2005 was the year of the new Passat (6th generation) ramp up. Some 216,400 vehicles left the assembly lines in Emden in 2005.
Europe’s most modern press shop has been in operation in Emden since 2001. Two vacuum transfer presses, each designed for a total force of 73,000 kilonewtons, can produce about 20,000 parts per day.
At the end of December 2005, about 8,800 people were employed at the plant.