The Volkswagen Bratislava Plant is an automotive factory and co-located test track owned by Volkswagen Group in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The Volkswagen Bratislava Plant is an automotive factory and co-located test track owned by Volkswagen Group in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Funded by the ruling Communist Party to expand car production across Czechoslovakia, it agreed a partnership in 1969 with Italian automaker Alfa Romeo, but the proposed new model was never developed beyond the clay mock-up.
On 1 July 1971, Bratislavské Automobilové Závody (BAZ) was founded, sub-contracted to produce Škoda Auto models, but with all pressings and parts supplied by the Czech-based partner. The factory began producing the Mladá Boleslav-designed 731 (saloon) and 732 (station wagon), as well as other BAZ marketed small (MNA) and medium-sized trucks (SNA). Later vehicles developed included the 3-door Locusta coupé.
After developing a partnership with Tatra, the company also produced military vehicles, including the popular Praga V3S.
BAZ vehicle production ended in 1982, when the production of the Škoda Garde was started, with the resultant development of the factory spurring the construction of new apartment blocks in the borough of Devínska Nová Ves. However, parts supply from the parent plant in the Czech Republic was slow, resulting often in a number of part-finished vehicles being held in storage, often awaiting singular parts. The factory later produced the Škoda Rapid 130/135/136, as well as a variety of parts for other car manufacturers in Czechoslovakia.
Some prototypes from BAZ can be seen in Museum of Transport in Bratislava. [1]
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, in May 1991 Volkswagen Group bought an 80% share of BAZ. Škoda production continued, and was expanded to include other models within the VW Group portfolio, initially the Volkswagen Passat. In 1998 Volkswagen Group bought out the remaining company shares, and renamed the company Volkswagen Slovakia. Volkswagen then bought the remaining shares in Škoda Auto in 2000.
Since VW developed their large SUV platform, the factory has become a specialist producer of all VW Group marques large SUVs, which presently include the Audi Q7, the Audi Q8 and the Volkswagen Touareg, [2] [3] [4] and the co-designed Porsche Cayenne which is based on the same platform. [2] [5] It is also the only VW Group factory to produce the Golf Syncro four-wheel drive. Since December 2011 the factory has produced the VW up!, as well as the badge-engineered SEAT Mii and Škoda Citigo for European markets. [6]
The factory area of the plant currently covers an area of 1,780,058 square metres (19,160,380 sq ft). Bodies are assembled and welded in one of two body shops, and then painted with one of 26 standard colours in the paint shop. The co-located Aggregate/Modules hall produces gearboxes for both on-site consumption and various models of the VW Group brands. The bodies are moved to the assembly hall, which covers an area equivalent to 21 football pitches, where the painted body is mated with the pre-assembled under-body and chassis. The VW Group and Porsche models then split.
The Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg and Up! variants are completed by installing the finishing components including wiring, wheels, seats and the steering wheel. [2] The final assembled SUV is then transported via cable car to the co-located test track for a final on-road test. If the car then passes a further inspection, it is prepared for dealer delivery. [2] Since 2016, the Bentley Bentayga has also been produced at Bratislava. [7] [8] [ circular reference ]
DHL handle all shipping and distribution arrangements from the site, via railway (70%) or road. [9] Aside from on-site body pressings, gearbox production, and various under-body and drive train components sourced from the Martin plant; 90% of parts are delivered to site from Volkswagen's component consolidation centre in Wolfsburg, Germany, shipped directly to site via 10 daily trains. [10]
First and second generation Porsche Cayenne models were sent direct to shipping once the body had been mated with under body. They were then shipped directly by rail to the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Germany, where interior fitting out, finishing and inspection were completed. Third generation Porsche Cayenne are being completely produced, and finished directly in Bratislava.
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche, is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company is owned by Volkswagen AG, a controlling stake of which is owned by Porsche Automobil Holding SE. Porsche's current lineup includes the 718, 911, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne and Taycan.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into the global brand it is known as today post World War II by the British Army officer Ivan Hirst, it is known for the iconic Beetle and serves as the flagship brand of the Volkswagen Group, the largest automotive manufacturer by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017. The group's biggest market is in China, which delivers 40 percent of its sales and profits. Its name is derived from the German-language terms Volk and Wagen, translating to "people's car" when combined.
The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle. The first generation was known internally within Porsche as the Type 9PA (955/957) or E1. It was the first V8-engined vehicle built by Porsche since 1995, when the Porsche 928 was discontinued. It is also Porsche's first off-road variant vehicle since its Super and Junior tractors of the 1950s, and the first Porsche with four doors. Since 2014, the Cayenne has been sold alongside a smaller Porsche SUV, the Macan.
The Volkswagen Touareg is a car produced by German automaker Volkswagen Group since 2002 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant. Considered to be the first luxury mid-size SUV from Volkswagen, the vehicle was named after the nomadic Tuareg people, inhabitants of the Saharan interior in North Africa. Originally, the Touareg was developed together with the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7, and as of October 2020, the Touareg was developed together with the Audi Q8, the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus. This family of vehicles are all unibody SUVs with independent suspension. The first generation (2002–2010) offered five, six, eight, ten and twelve-cylinder engine choices.
The VR6 engine is a six-cylinder engine configuration developed by VW. The name VR6 comes from the combination of German words “Verkürzt” and “Reihenmotor” meaning “shortened inline engine”. It was developed specifically for transverse engine installations and FWD vehicles. The VR6 is a highly compact engine, thanks to the narrower angle of 10.5 to 15 degrees between cylinder banks, as opposed to the traditional V6 angles ranging from 45 to 90 degrees. The compact design is cheaper to manufacture, since only one cylinder head is required for all six cylinders, much like a traditional inline-6 engine.
The Audi Q7 is a crossover SUV made by the German manufacturer Audi, unveiled in September 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Production of this seven-seater SUV began in the autumn of 2005 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Bentley Continental refers to several models of cars produced by Bentley Motors. Originally, it referred to a special chassis for engines more powerful than the usual offering, supplied to a selected number of coachbuilders for the fitting of very light-weight coachwork designed under Rolls-Royce supervision.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., is the North American operational headquarters, and subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of automobile companies of Germany. VWoA is responsible for five marques: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Volkswagen cars. It also controls VW Credit, Inc., Volkswagen's financial services and credit operations. The company is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
The Volkswagen Group E platform was a series of automobile platforms shared among multiple marques of sport utility vehicles (SUVs). It was co-developed by Volkswagen Group and Porsche AG. All platform users shared the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Slovakia, with the Porsche Cayenne having final assembly at the Porsche plant at Leipzig.
The Volkswagen Group MLB platform is the company's platform strategy, announced in 2012, for shared modular construction of its longitudinal, front-engined automobiles.
The Volkswagen Group New Small Family platform (NSF) is a range of ultra-compact city cars manufactured by Volkswagen Group launched in late 2011, based on the Volkswagen up! concept cars shown at 2007's Frankfurt and Tokyo motor shows. Although the up! concept car had a rear-engine design, the NSF's platform is front-engined, according to reports, in order to reduce investment costs. The range will consist of a short wheelbase three-door hatchback and a five-door version. A hybrid version was touted to join the range but never did. The NSF Platform was offered with electric powertrains in the E-Up, Citigo and Mii.
The Volkswagen Group MQB platform is the company's strategy for shared modular design construction of its transverse, front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout automobiles. It was first introduced in the Volkswagen Golf Mk7 in late 2012. Volkswagen spent roughly $8bn developing this new platform and the cars employing it. The platform underpins a wide range of cars from the supermini class to the mid size SUV class. MQB allows Volkswagen to assemble any of its cars based on this platform across all of its MQB ready factories. This allows the Volkswagen group flexibility to shift production as needed between its different factories. Beginning in 2012, Volkswagen Group marketed the strategy under the code name MQB, which stands for Modularer Querbaukasten, translating from German to "Modular Transversal Toolkit" or "Modular Transverse Matrix". MQB is one strategy within VW's overall MB program which also includes the similar MLB strategy for vehicles with longitudinal engine orientation.
German–Slovak relations are foreign relations between Germany and Slovakia. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1993 but previously had relations during World War II when Slovakia was a separate state, the Slovak Republic. Germany has an embassy in Bratislava. Slovakia has an embassy in Berlin, an embassy branch in Bonn, and a consulate-general in Munich. Germany plays an important part in the Slovak economy as it is Slovakia's main trading partner.
The automotive industry in Germany is one of the largest employers in the world, with a labor force of over 857,336 (2016) working in the industry.
Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited is the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of German automotive manufacturing company Volkswagen Group, formed in 2001.
The Bentley EXP 9 F is a concept car produced by Bentley and first shown to the public at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, and is the concept SUV for the Bentayga.
The Lamborghini Urus is a luxury SUV manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was introduced in December 2017 as a 2018 model year production vehicle. The Urus is the first Lamborghini SUV and five-door vehicle in the modern era, and the second SUV in the brand's history after the LM002, which was produced between 1986 and 1993.
Since 2007, Slovakia has been the world's largest producer of cars per capita, with a total of 1 080 000 in 2018 cars manufactured alone in a country with 5 million people. With production of more than a million cars in 2016, Slovakia was 20th in the list of worldwide car production by country and the 7th largest car producer in the European Union. Car manufacture is the largest industry in Slovakia with a share of 12% on the Slovak GDP in 2013 which was 41% of industrial production and 26% of Slovakia's export. 80,000 people were employed in the automotive industry in 2014. 1,500 people were employed when Jaguar Land Rover started production in Nitra in 2018.
The Bentley Bentayga is a car produced by British marque Bentley Motors. Introduced in late 2015, it is the brand's first luxury crossover SUV. Its body is manufactured at the Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant in Germany, then painted and assembled at Bentley's factory in Crewe, United Kingdom.
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