Type Subsidiary of MAN SE Products Commercial vehicles Founded 1995 | Industry Automotive Website man-la.com Parent organization MAN SE | |
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Area served Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa Key people Roberto Cortes President Headquarters Resende, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Profiles | ||
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, Portuguese: Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, is a Brazilian commercial vehicles manufacturing company based in Resende, Brazil and a subsidiary of MAN SE. It manufactures heavy trucks and buses under the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marque.
Contents
- Volkswagen Trucks and Buses operation
- AutoLatina years
- Resende rebirth
- Modular Consortium
- Sales
- The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles era
- Volkswagen Trucks and Buses company facts
- BMB Mode Center
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- VWTB in motorsports
- Current models
- References
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses was originally a part of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division of the Volkswagen Group, but as of 1 January 2009, it is now under the ownership of MAN SE and is now MAN Latin America.
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses operation
In 1979, Volkswagenwerk AG acquired a 67% percent stake in Chrysler Motors do Brasil Ltda. In January 1980, it increased its shareholding to 100%, therefore giving it the right to rename the company to Volkswagen Caminhões Ltda.
Volkswagen Caminhões Ltda. released their first trucks in February/March 1981; the Volkswagen 11.130 and the Volkswagen 13.130, both had a reworked version of Volkswagen's Mk1 LT cabin, and were powered by MWM Motores Diesel Ltda (MWM) diesel engines on Chrysler engineered platforms which were inherited from the takeover.
AutoLatina years
From 1990 to 1995, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses were built with Ford components as part of the AutoLatina venture, and were built in Ford's Ipiranga complex in Brazil.
Once the AutoLatina marriage fell through, Volkswagen Group had no factory for its trucks and their parts, so the Resende plant was built in 1995.
Resende rebirth
1996, Resende was the official start for Volkswagen Trucks and Buses, developing their own parts and platforms. The Modular Consortium was introduced for the first time in Resende.
Modular Consortium
The Modular Consortium is the group of main suppliers that make the parts, and assembles them for Volkswagen Truck and Bus on site in the Resende factory.
Volkswagen Groups involvement is only in supplying the factory and inspection at the end of production; Volkswagen pays only a small amount of wages, as each partner of the Modular Consortium pays the workers.
The Modular Consortium comprises these companies:
Sales
Most of the early sales of the Truck and Bus chassis' operations were mainly within South America; with the exception of small exportations to China and the Middle East.
Prior to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' new role of managing the Truck and Bus operation; in 1994 Volkswagen imported to Germany a 7 tonne truck: the Volkswagen L80. Due to the European Union Gas Emissions EU4 standards; exports discontinued in late 2000.
The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles era
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles took over the Brazilian Trucks and Buses operation in 2000 from Volkswagen do Brasil; Volkswagen's Brazilian subsidiary. This signaled the start of a new era for the Volkswagen Group in producing its own Heavy Truck and Bus chassis range, which covers the gross combination mass (GCM) of 5 tonnes to 57 tonnes category.
Since Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have taken control; the company has been looking at expanding Truck and Bus sales to other markets outside of South America, South Africa and Middle East regions.
All Volkswagen Trucks and Buses are built in the Resende, Brazil factory and sent in semi knocked down (SKD) kits to Uitenhage in South Africa and Puebla in Mexico.
Planned future markets for export are ASEAN and Eastern Europe countries.
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses released in September 2005 the new Volkswagen Constellation range with a gross combination mass from 13 tonnes to 57 tonnes.
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses company facts
BMB Mode Center
Established in 2002 10 km from Resende the assembly plant, the BMB Mode Center is responsible for modifications to the truck and bus range that cannot be done on the production line.
BMB Mode Center build:
The BMB division moved in June 2006 to the new location 150 m outside the Resende Plant. The new location has 30,000 square metres of land; it cost Brazilian R$7 million to build.
1980s
1990s
2000s
VWTB in motorsports
Volkswagen Trucks and Buses competes in the Brazilian Fórmula Truck championship, with four drivers. The Volkswagen Constellation 18.310 Titan tractor unit is used; they are driven by Renato Martins, Felipe Giaffone, Walmir Benavides and Débora Rodrigues. Furthermore, an additional Constellation is used as the official pace truck, driven by Ana Lúcia Lopes.