
Now under the name of "VDO Adolf Schindling" and operating as an independent corporation since 1973, the company introduced numerous innovations which went on to enjoy worldwide success: VDO invented the electric cruise control system, installed the first quartz crystal clock directly into the cockpit, developed the instruments into a central information system with integrated on-board computer and became, for example, the first manufacturer to introduce a comprehensive head-up display.Īfter first being taken over by Mannesmann, then merging with parts of Siemens AG for several years, VDO became an important brand of the Continental AG corporation in December 2007. The company profited from and grew with the German "economic miracle" and, alongside display instruments for bicycles and automobiles, other products were added to the range such as parking meters. However, measuring instruments for motor vehicles were also in high demand worldwide. The first new products after the war were speedometers for bicycles and mopeds, which developed quickly into a great success. The Second World War was a setback for the company because most of the production plants were destroyed.
Siemens vdo automotive corp drivers#
The company was also able to establish itself as an instrumentation specialist for other modes of transport: ship's captains, pilots, even excavator operators and train drivers came to trust the indicators from the measurement specialist VDO. The initial products were largely mechanical but subsequent products came to rely increasingly on electronics. VDO manufactured products capable of measuring and controlling almost all characteristics of passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

The Frankfurt plants alone produced over 100,000 units every year, which were supplied to almost all renowned German automotive manufacturers for installation on the production line. In 1938, VDO was the largest and most capable manufacturer of measuring instruments for motor vehicles in the whole of Europe. This represented the birth of VDO Tachometer AG, whose three letters established themselves worldwide in the following years as a synonym for reliable and precise measuring instruments. A merger with parts of Deutsche Tachometerwerke GmbH (Deuta) resulted in the formation of Vereinigte Deuta OTA in 1928. It was then that Otto Schulze invented the speedometer, which was manufactured by the OSA Apparate GmbH company of Frankfurt Senator Adolf Schindling from 1923 onwards. However, the history of the company extends back as far as the 1920s. It was displayed on the speedometer of the most successful car in the world, as VDO produced the speedometer exclusively for Volkswagen. It was in this vehicle that the masses first came across the three-letter trademark from 1939 onwards.
Siemens vdo automotive corp driver#
The roots of the company stretch all the way back to the birth of the automobile.Īt the very latest, VDO became a familiar brand to every driver along with the worldwide success of the VW Beetle.

The company is today an important brand within the Continental Group and one of the world's leading suppliers of parts and services for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. VDO can also be considered one of the pioneers of the early days of the automobile. That is because the history of the supplier industry also began here, without which Daimler & Co would never have managed to get their "coach with combustion engine" moving in the first place. The 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile is not just a reason for celebration for the vehicle manufacturers. The company has been a byword for progressive electronic and mechatronic solutions since the birth of the automobile. VDO is today one of the world's leading automotive suppliers and one of the largest providers of parts and services for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
