Volkswagen Truck & Bus Indústria e Comércio de Veículos Ltda., formerly known as Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, is a Brazilian commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in Resende, Brazil and a subsidiary of Traton. It manufactures heavy trucks and buses under the Volkswagen marque. Volkswagen Truck and Bus was originally a part of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division of the Volkswagen Group. On 1 January 2009, it was sold to MAN SE, and formed its MAN Latin America division. In August 2021, MAN SE was merged with Traton SE, with the latter becoming the direct owner and parent of Volkswagen Truck and Bus.

Volkswagen Truck and Bus operation

In 1979, Volkswagenwerk AG acquired a 67% percent stake in Chrysler Motors do Brasil Ltda (pt). 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 1987 to 1996, 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 Caminhões e Ônibus vehicles 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 Caminhões e Ônibus released the new Volkswagen Constellation range in September 2005, with a gross combination mass from 13 tonnes to 57 tonnes.

Volkswagen Truck and Bus 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.

Volkswagen Truck and Bus highlights

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Volkswagen Truck and Bus in motorsports

Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus 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.

Current models

Volkswagen Truck and Bus gallery