“Did you know Volkswagen built automobiles before they made intergalactic laser-guided currywursts from space cows?” could be on VW's website in fifty years, if sales of its most popular product continue. The famous Volkswagen currywurst achieved a sales record last year, the brand reported on its own intranet last Friday.
In 2023, Volkswagen sold no fewer than 8.33 million currywursts. For comparison (which of course makes no sense): Volkswagen sold 4.87 million passenger cars last year. We are betting that the number will be even higher in 2024, because this whole year the currywurst will be available again at the canteen in the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg. The sausage was missing there for much of 2023.
New hot dog contributes to currywurst sales record
According to DPA (the German ANP) owes part of its success to the new hot dog variant that was launched in 2021. The brand sold almost 2 million units of this new sausage. The classic sold 6.4 million copies – that's almost 18,000 a day. In 2022, the total number of currywursts remained just under 8 million, which was also a sales record at the time.
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In addition to the canteens at Volkswagen, you can find the sausage in many supermarkets in the state of Lower Saxony. We have heard from employees of Dutch VW dealers that they can get the sausage, but certainly not all dealers can sell you the sausage. Unfortunately, you cannot order Volkswagen currywurst at parts stores.
The recipe for the spice mix is top secret and known only to a handful of people. Volkswagen does reveal that they steam the sausages for 100 minutes at a temperature of 176 degrees and that the fat percentage is only 20 percent, while the usual fat percentage for curry sausages is 35 percent. You serve them in pieces, with a generous dollop of (curry) ketchup and a generous hit of curry powder. And some fries on the side, because you have to eat vegetables.
The part number of the classic currywurst
The sausage is so ingrained in Volkswagen's corporate culture that the brand crowned the meat lollipop 'Volkswagen Originalteil', or 'original Volkswagen part' in good Dutch. The part number was included in the catalog and the number of the Volkswagen Currywurst is '199 398 500 A'. For the ketchup the number is 'TN 199 398 500 B.'
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