According to Ferdinand Piech, grandson of the ingenious Ferdinand Porsche, three things matter in life: “Volkswagen, family and money – in that order”. Ruthless, cunning and abrasive are the kind of words used to describe how the Piech Porsche family have pressed ahead with Volkswagen’s seemingly unstoppable expansion, which began with Hitler ordering Ferdinand Porsche to build a “Volkswagen”, or people’s car. But in early 2015, the company was devastated by the most momentous industrial scandal in German history. The fall of VW is tied to the firm’s history, and to that of the family. Meck has has met with all the company’s directors and spoken with every single protagonist, making him ideally placed to report on Germany’s most powerful industrial clan. This is an enthralling narrative backed up by his expert knowledge that details how one family propelled VW to the highest pinnacle of success before pulling it down into the abyss.
› From Hitler’s “people’s car” to worldconquering auto maker: how one family brought Europe’s biggest car maker to the edge of disaster.
