History of a automoblie (automotive) 2 - Germany

Daimler Benz is the industry's oldest firm, building automobiles since the late 1880s; its current structure dates from 1926. In 1998 it bought the American Chrysler, then sold out in 2007 at a heavy loss as it never integrated the new car in its line. In the popular market, Opel and Volkswagen are most famous. Opel was a bicycle company that started making cars in 1898; General Motors bought it out in 1929, but the Nazi government took control and GM wrote off its entire investment. In 1948 GM returned and restored the Opel brand. Volkswagen is dominant in the popular market; it purchased Audi in 1964. VW's most famous car was the small, beetle-shaped economical "people's car" with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine. It was designed in the 1930s by Ferdinand Porsche upon orders from Adolf Hitler, who was himself a car enthusiast. However production models appeared only after the war; until then only rich Germans had automobiles. By 1950 Volkswagen was the largest German automobile producer. Germany is famous for its upscale sedans. They feature well-designed suspension systems that provide both a soft ride and good handling characteristics on winding country roads. Many manufacturers limit their automobiles electronically to driving speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph) for safety reasons. Daimler-Benz produces the upscale Mercedes-Benz, long a famous name in racing. BMW (founded 1916) and Porsche are major factors in the luxury market. Porsche formed his own company, which today produces expensive, high-quality sports cars. In 2008 the Porsche company sought control of the much larger Volkswagen company; Porsche cornered the market for Volkswagen stock and made profits of tens of billions of Euros, while apparently gaining control of the bigger company.