German Volkswagen

From 1973 to 1987, Volkswagen's (VW) 140,000 hectare 'pioneer' cattle ranch on the Amazon frontier laid bare the limits of capitalist development. These limits were not only economic, with the core management of a multinational company engaged in the 'integration' of an extreme world periphery, but they were also legal and ethical, with the involvement of indentured labor and massive forest burning. Its physical limits were exposed by an unpredictable ecosystem refusing to submit to VW's technological arsenal. Antoine Acker reveals how the VW ranch, a major project supported by the Brazilian military dictatorship, was planned, negotiated, and eventually undone by the intervention of internationally connected actors and events.

Posth arrived in China with a vision. He navigated a steep learning curve, achieved his goals and now shares an insightful, first-hand account of an intriguing journey that included bumps and highlights. 1,000 Days in Shanghai is a breathtaking manual for anyone contemplating a business career in the increasingly vibrant arena of today’s China. It is also a personal account, done with great sensitivity, revealing between the lines a deep respect for the spirit that propels China’s social and industrial revolution today.—Hans Michael Jebsen, Chairman, Jebsen and Co., Ltd. To really understand China’s economic development, one needs to look at the history of individual projects. This applies in particular to those who are considering a venture on site. This book by Martin Posth is a unique document on the subject: evidence of profound knowledge, didactically sound, with comprehensible conclusions—simply readable!—Prof. Heinrich v. Pierer, Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Siemens AG Former Chairman of the German Asian-Pacific Business Commission Co-Chairman of the German-Chinese Dialog Forum This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to work in or via China. The personal experiences of a pioneering manager can also help management to see the transformation of China in a new light. Anybody wanting to be successful in China should heed the practical lessons that Martin Posth draws.—Prof. Dr. Eberhard Sandschneider, Otto-Wolff-Director, Research Institute Executive Officer, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) In establishing the Volkswagen works in Shanghai at the beginning of Deng Xiaoping’s reform era, Martin Posth made a breach in the wall behind which the People’s Republic of China had dug its trenches up until then. His experiences are useful for anyone wanting to work the Chinese market with any degree of success. The fascinating reading that his report makes, and heeding his lessons, can help any entrepreneur to avoid costly mistakes.—Dr. Theo Sommer, DIE ZEIT, Editor-at-Large For the Chinese, this book by Martin Posth is a historic document on the Open Door Policy for foreign investors. It is a must-read.—Prof. Xu Kuangdi, Mayor of Shanghai 1995–2001, Chairman China Federation of Industrial Economics (CFIE), Co-Chairman of the German-Chinese Dialog Forum

At the Berlin Auto Show in 1938, Adolf Hitler presented the prototype for a small, oddly shaped, inexpensive family car that all good Aryans could enjoy. Decades later, that automobile—the Volkswagen Beetle—was one of the most beloved in the world. Bernhard Rieger examines culture and technology, politics and economics, and industrial design and advertising genius to reveal how a car commissioned by Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche became an exceptional global commodity on a par with Coca-Cola. Beyond its quality and low cost, the Beetle’s success hinged on its uncanny ability to capture the imaginations of people across nations and cultures. In West Germany, it came to stand for the postwar “economic miracle” and helped propel Europe into the age of mass motorization. In the United States, it was embraced in the suburbs, and then prized by the hippie counterculture as an antidote to suburban conformity. As its popularity waned in the First World, the Beetle crawled across Mexico and Latin America, where it symbolized a sturdy toughness necessary to thrive amid economic instability. Drawing from a wealth of sources in multiple languages, The People’s Car presents an international cast of characters—executives and engineers, journalists and advertisers, assembly line workers and car collectors, and everyday drivers—who made the Beetle into a global icon. The Beetle’s improbable story as a failed prestige project of the Third Reich which became a world-renowned brand illuminates the multiple origins, creative adaptations, and persisting inequalities that characterized twentieth-century globalization.

Covers the numerous Volkswagen trucks and cars used by the Wehrmacht during WWII. AUTHOR:

This volume presents a cross-section of the most common transport vehicles produced and used by the German army. Tanks plus auxiliary vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, vans, ambulances, trucks and tractors made it possible for the troops to keep moving. These lightly armored or unarmored vehicles--aka "soft skins"--operated behind the front lines, maintaining supply lines, connecting armies with their home bases, and ultimately determining the outcome of battle. Beginning with the development of military vehicles in the early 1930s, this volume discusses the ways in which this new technology influenced and, to some extent, facilitated Hitler's program of rearmament. Nomenclature, standard equipment, camouflage and the combat roles of the various vehicles are thoroughly examined. Individual vehicle types are arranged and discussed by the following classifications: cars and motorcycles; trucks and tractors; half-tracks and wheeled combat vehicles. Accompanied by well-researched, detailed line drawings, each section deals with a number of individual vehicles, describing their design, manufacture and specific use.

Perhaps the most charismatic automobile ever, the Volkswagen Beetle was the longest-running, most-manufactured automobile on a single platform of all time. From 1938 to 2003, more than 21.5 million "Bugs" were assembled, distributed, and sold on nearly every continent in the world. Throughout the Beetle's successful run, many of these cars have been relegated to project car status due to their age or condition. Airkooled Kustoms, a VW restoration shop in Hazel Green, Alabama, brings its expertise in restoring these cars to book form with this all-encompassing compilation. Restoring your Beetle is covered through step-by-step sequences from unbolting that first nut through polishing the paint on your freshly restored Bug. The specialists at Airkooled Kustoms walk you through the proper disassembly methods, restoring versus replacing components, and reassembling your restored Bug, covering everything related to the body, undercarriage, and interior along the way. It's about time a thorough, hands-on restoration book has been authored by authorities who know the Beetle like the back of their hands. With this book, you will have everything you need to bring your old or new VW Beetle project back to life. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color: #000000}

Covers traditional marketing techniques and theories alongside the latest concepts, and acknowledges the increased importance of marketing in the customer-oriented environment.