Editing Volkswagen Group (section)

===1970 to 1999===

[[File:VW Golf I Facelift front 20081209.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Volkswagen Golf Mk1]] - the Golf is the third-bestselling car of all time, selling over 30 million up to 2013.]]

From the late 1970s to 1992, the acronym '''V.A.G.''' was used by Volkswagen AG as a brand for group-wide activities, such as distribution and leasing. Contrary to popular belief, "V.A.G." had no official meaning, and was never the formal name of the Volkswagen Group.<ref name=TTAC.com>{{cite web|title=VW/Porsche: Auto Union? What the NSFW?|url=http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/vwporsche-auto-union-what-the-nsfw/|last=Schmitt|first=Bertel|date=16 May 2009|work=TheTruthAboutCars.com|access-date=15 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519202627/http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/vwporsche-auto-union-what-the-nsfw/|archive-date=19 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 30 September 1982, Volkswagenwerk made its first step expanding outside Germany by signing a co-operation agreement with the Spanish car manufacturer [[SEAT|SEAT, S.A.]]<ref name="chronicle"/>

To reflect the company's increasing global diversification from its headquarters and main plant (the [[Wolfsburg Volkswagen Plant|''Volkswagenwerk'' in Wolfsburg]]), on 4 July 1985, the company name was changed again—to ''Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft'' (Volkswagen AG).

On 18 June 1986, Volkswagen AG acquired a 51% controlling stake in SEAT, making it the first non-German subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. On 23 December the same year, it became the Spanish company's major shareholder by increasing its share up to 75%.<ref name="chronicle"/>

In 1990—after purchasing its entire equity—Volkswagen AG took over the full ownership of SEAT, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary, and on 28 March 1991, another step to the expansion of the group's activities was made through the signing of a joint-venture partnership agreement with [[Škoda Auto|Škoda automobilová a.s.]] of [[Czechoslovakia]], accompanied with the acquisition of a 30% stake in the Czech car manufacturer on 16 April 1991.<ref name="chronicle"/>

On 19 December 1994, the group began the acquisition of Škoda Auto by raising its share to 60.3%. Later, on 11 December 1995, it became the Czech company's largest and controlling shareholder by increasing its share up to 70%.<ref name="Skoda Auto ownership chronicle">{{cite web |url= http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/de/talks_and_presentations/2004/10/eastern_europe_investor.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/20041006_mlada_boleslav.pdf |title= Skoda Auto ownership chronicle |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101216033527/http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/de/talks_and_presentations/2004/10/eastern_europe_investor.-bin.acq/qual-BinaryStorageItem.Single.File/20041006_mlada_boleslav.pdf |archive-date= 16 December 2010 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>

Three prestige automotive marques were added to the Volkswagen portfolio in 1998: [[Bentley]], [[Lamborghini]], and [[Bugatti Automobiles|Bugatti]].<ref name="chronicle"/>