Poster child of Germany’s postwar economic success and now symbol of Europe’s fight for industrial relevance, Volkswagen has never fully been in control of its destiny.
From its founding by Nazis in 1937 and its return to German ownership by the British army in 1949 to repeated attempts to reform its bloated domestic factories, the crisis-prone group has been caught in a nexus of managers, shareholders, workers and politicians.
Now as Europe’s largest carmaker battles cheaper Chinese rivals and confronts a costly transition to electric vehicles, there is a fight once more over the company’s governance — the result of which will have long-lasting implications for its home country’s brand of capitalism.