Volkswagen Updates Its Biggest Bestseller and It’s Not a Car

Set aside the cars. Volkswagen’s most successful product doesn’t grip the asphalt, it hisses on a hot skillet. The German industrial giant has announced an update to its iconic currywurst. Starting in June, this classic will reappear in German supermarkets as a ready-made meal for the microwave. It is engineered for speed, hunger and nostalgia.

Currywurst has never been an afterthought for Volkswagen. Since 1973, these sausages have been produced at the Wolfsburg plant with a kind of obsessive craftsmanship that would make a Michelin chef envious. The secret sauce, the recipe that has stood the test of time and those legendary factory lunches all combined into a food culture that soon captured the appetite of a nation.

What began as a factory canteen staple quickly evolved into Volkswagen’s best-selling item. Now it returns not as a compromise but as a convenience. The same quality, just faster to plate.

In 2024, Volkswagen sold about 8.6 million sausages. Cars? Only 5.2 million. It is no surprise then that VW Group Services, the division behind the wurst, contributes a meaningful chunk of the company’s revenue. That figure is likely to grow with this latest iteration.

A few years back, when environmental idealism peaked, the company attempted a plant-based pivot. It did not go down well. The unions revolted, demanding real meat and they got it. Today, Volkswagen’s currywurst returns in its full juicy authenticity.