After 24 years: Last VW rolls off the production line in Dresden

After 24 years, the last car is to roll off the production line at Volkswagen's (VW) Transparent Factory in Dresden on Tuesday. The red ID.3 is to remain at the plant as an exhibit and has been signed by all employees, as Volkswagen Saxony announced. Over the years, more than 165,500 vehicles have been produced at the Dresden plant.

The Gläserne Manufaktur was opened in 2001 with the production of the VW luxury model Phaeton, which ended in 2016. With the start of production of the e-Golf in 2017, Dresden became the first VW site to switch completely to electromobility. Since 2021, only the ID.3 has been produced.

Udo Lindenberg among celebrity buyers

Celebrities have also come to Dresden in recent years: In addition to world star Udo Lindenberg, Wolfgang Stumph and Axel Schulz also picked up a VW Phaeton at the Gläserne Manufaktur. The Pope also drove a Phaeton manufactured in Dresden in 2006. Two ID.3s were handed over to the Vatican in 2023, it was said.

Conversion to an innovation campus

The Gläserne Manufaktur will now be converted from January 2026, but will remain a delivery location. Volkswagen, the Free State of Saxony and the Technical University (TU) Dresden are entering into a strategic partnership for this purpose.

The plan is to create an innovation center for key fields of technology, including artificial intelligence, robotics, microelectronics and chip design. The TU wants to use almost half of the space in the plant in future. The 230 employees are to keep their jobs in Dresden for the time being.