Volkswagen has built its last VR6 engine

On 12 December 2024, Volkswagen ended production of the iconic VR6 engine, which was produced for 34 years.

During this time, almost 1.87 million of these motors have been assembled. The historic moment was reported on LinkedIn by Andreas G. Schleith, public relations manager for Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

The VR6 made its debut at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show along with the third generation VW Golf. Since then, this motor has been used in a huge number of models: the Golf, Passat, Corrado, Touareg, Phaeton, Transporter, Sharan, CC, Beetle and many others. It could also be found under the bonnet of cars from other Volkswagen AG brands such as the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, SEAT Leon and Skoda Superb. Even the Mercedes-Benz Vito was equipped with the VR6 in certain modifications.

For the European market VR6 was stopped to produce in the mid-2010s due to stricter environmental standards. However, the engine continued to be installed on cars for North America and China, where it lasted the longest.

Volkswagen is now moving to smaller and more fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines. These units are better integrated with modular platforms, allowing them to be used in dozens of models in different classes.

Source: Andreas G. Schleith