This is the story about a car that never existed (?). The FAW (First Auto Works)- Volkswagen Olympia Taxi.
In 2005 two spy photos circulated on the internet showing an MPV, bearing a Volkswagen logo and which had the name Olympia on the license plate. It seems that the original publication was seen in an Italian car magazine.
There was some resemblance with the Volkswagen Touran (1st generation of 2003).
The story is that Volkswagen (VW Group China) wanted to organize the transport of athletes during the Beijing Olympics of 2008. Volkswagen was official sponsor of these Olympics.
Shanghai-VW provided cars, including the face lifted 2006 model Touran. FAW-VW prepared an MPV of their own. This car was called the FAW-VW Olympia Taxi.
The connection Olympia and the Olympics is clear. And interesting, because already in 1936 Opel prepared an Olympia for the notorious Games in Berlin.
After the first 1936 Olympia, several Opel models were named Olympia. Opel has the rights of the name Olympia for its cars. I don’t know how FAW-VW planned to have an Olympia of their own.
FAW-Volkswagen Olympia Taxi 2005. Photo Autoscoops.be.
There is second VW model which shows elements you can find back in the Olympia, the VW Cross Polo.
And then, no FAW-VW Olympia at the Beijing 2008 Olympics…
Shanghai-VW continued to deliver cars, like in 2010 for the World Expo.
When asked, Eckbert von Witzleben, archivist of the Stiftung AutoMuseum Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany, told us: ‘about this „Volkswagen Olympia Taxi“ we have no information here in our AutoMuseum Volkswagen’.
Von Witzleben referred us to the history department of Volkswagen. They forwarded our question to the Volkswagen Group China. Mr. Sun Ou answered us: ‘(We) checked with FAW-VW colleagues on this topic. I am afraid currently there is no knowledge on this car from FAW-VW side.’
I got another answer from mr. Frank Sprengler, Volkswagen Communications/Heritage Department:
‘Unfortunately we do not have any information about the Volkswagen, you send a picture to us with your inquiry.
But we can inform you about some details concerning the cars from the Volkswagen Group China being used during the Olympic Games 2008.
In the mid of June 2008 the Volkswagen Group China and its joint ventures Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, as the official car partner of the Olympic games 2008 in Peking, started with the handover of more than 5.000 cars from the brands Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda to the Olympic organization committee. 959 cars had already accompanied the torch relay from Hainan to Peking (97 days, across 31 province and 113 cities) from its beginning on the 4th may 2008. The journey about the distance of about 40.000 kilometer and all the stages were escorted in each case from several car-convoys with round about thirty cars. These cars were painted/laminated in red and yellow-color with the slogan “Light the Passion Share the Dream” – you have already a picture on your website.’
2008: many Volkswagen Tourans for the Olympic Games. No VW Olympia… (Photo VW).
This blog is fantastic. I randomly stumbled upon it and was pleasantly surprised to see that you still upload content here regularly! This is the kind of blog that you usually find a few years after it stops uploading, and I feel Privileged to have found it in its active days.
I was always interested in cars even as a kid, seeing these photos bring me back to those days when I would flip through car magazines and search up spy shots of new cars on the internet. Thank you!!
Many thanks, Jinster for this stimulating feedback! I really enjoy these kind of comments, without them we are writing in the dark, not knowing if there is at least one reader…
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