VW Polo turns 35: Employees remember hard times and successes!

VW Polo turns 35: Employees remember hard times and successes!

A very special anniversary is being celebrated today in small but beautiful Zwickau: exactly 35 years ago, the first VW Polo rolled off the assembly line here and opened a new chapter in the history of the automobile factory. Many employees remember the early days, when the Polo rolled down the conveyor belt in brilliant alpine white, with a smile. The 1.3 liter engine with 55 hp has now become a real collector's item and tells the story of a remarkable development in the Saxon region. Loud News38 At that time, the factory in the Mosel district also witnessed the production of the legendary Trabant, which was a central part of car culture in the GDR until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

To celebrate the day, long-time employees reported on their experiences over the years. “Our hearts were in it,” says a colleague who experienced the challenges at the time and also the ups and downs in the company. The harsh working conditions, especially for shifts on weekends and at night, often created a negative atmosphere. At that time, some had the courage to quit, while others worked hard to assemble the cars from the wooden boxes in which the parts were delivered from the West. Today people are optimistic; the future of the plant looks better than many people think.

A look back and forward

The beginning of modern automobile production in Zwickau marked the year 1990, when the first VW Polos and later models such as the Golf and Passat were produced in the Mosel plant. Jörn Kaiser and Udo Friedrich, two mechanical engineers who were already active as body builders at VEB Sachsenring, are proud to have witnessed the development from the Trabant to today's e-mobility. Loud MDR Both have assembled all models at VW Sachsen and can well remember the transition period to fully electric variants such as the ID.3 and ID.4, which have been manufactured in the Zwickau factory since 2020.

In today's world, when sustainability and climate goals are urgently on the table, the image of the automotive industry has changed significantly. Cars are still indispensable for many commuters and vacationers, while in urban areas owning a car is increasingly being questioned. The challenge of the transport transition can be felt everywhere and is also being discussed at the Zwickau plant. Opinion is divided: “Young people think the new models are great, while older people often stick to their combustion engines,” reveals Udo.

Together into the future

While the workforce at the Zwickau plant looks to the future with hope, the industry must face the increasing challenges, as already outlined in the history of the automobile. Historical turning points such as the oil crisis or German reunification have repeatedly put the automotive business to the test, and the ongoing discussion about electromobility could be the next big wave. Like from a post by Federal Agency for Civic Education As can be seen, the car is considered to have a central role in German society, even if environmental concerns are increasingly being incorporated into the discussion.

The employees at the Zwickau plant agree: Despite all the challenges, they continue to work on innovative solutions and they firmly believe in the continued existence of automobile production in their homeland. “There's something going on,” is the motto for the coming years, and with the concentrated know-how and passion that the people from Zwickau put into their work, the success story of the VW Polo and the entire plant could be far from over.