Back in 1937, the Nazi German government established a state-owned automobile company known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbeitung des Deutschen Volkswagen, which translates to “Company for the Preparation of the German People’s Car”. This name was later simplified to Volkswagenwerk, meaning “People’s Car Factory”, to instill a sense of national pride in Germany’s vehicles. Following World War II, the company was revitalized with the help of the Allies through the Marshall Plan, reemerging as Volkswagen. The nickname VW was adopted in 1958, reaching peak usage in 1981. The term Volk-, signifying “people”, can be traced back to Old High German folc and Proto-Germanic fulka. Derived from the Proto-Indo-European root pleh, meaning “fill”, Fulka is also the origin of the English word folk. The suffix -wagen, a cognate of English wagon, can be linked to Old High German wagan, Proto-Germanic wagnaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European weg, meaning “to transport”.
