• The millionth Sharan has rolled off the assembly line in Portugal
  • The most popular family van in its segment has been manufactured by Volkswagen Autoeuropa since 1995
  • This multivariable van is available in 33 markets


Today, the millionth Sharan rolled off the assembly line at Volkswagen Autoeuropa in Palmela since production started there 24 years ago. Its safety, space utilisation and sliding door concept continues to impress families and long-haul drivers around the world.


Nowadays, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) dominate the roads but at the beginning of the nineties, it was the multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) that triggered a real van boom. The Sharan has remained one of the most popular vehicles in this segment to this day. But the Sharan has not only been successful in Europe, but also as a top-of-the-range business van in Asia. Currently, the multivariable vehicle is available on a total of 33 markets, with Germany being one of the main markets.


The family-friendly Sharan impresses with its huge variability and particularly good space utilisation. The current generation offers numerous new safety features as standard, making it one of the most advanced vehicles in its segment. The Lane Assist lane keeping system and the Front Assist area monitoring system are installed as standard. Front Assist warns when you are driving too close to the vehicle in front and intervenes by applying the brakes within the system limits.


The first Sharan came onto the market in autumn 1995. Even then, the engine portfolio managed to be powerful but with low fuel consumption. This approach has remained unchanged to this day. Since September 2019, the Sharan’s engines have complied with the obligatory Euro 6d TEMP emission standard.


Apart from the Sharan, Volkswagen Autoeuropa also produces the sister model Seat Alhambra and the compact T-Roc. A total of more than 2.7 million units of a variety of models (including the Eos and Scirocco) have been manufactured in Palmela.