Global 500 rank: 16 (Previous rank: 17)
2006 Revenues (millions): $132,323
Headquarters: Wolfsburg
Country: Germany
Volkswagen's CEO resigned last year after his board said he wasn't reforming the company fast enough in the wake of accusations that it paid kickbacks to German labor officials in 2005. Even so, it wasn't a bad year for VW. Europe's top automaker—whose cars range from Jettas to Lamborghinis—doubled its profits to $3.6 billion thanks to new models like the VW Eos and Audi Q7. But like DaimlerChrysler, VW also lost money in the U.S. in 2006.
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16. Volkswagen
|  Old-economy outfits top Fortune's annual Global 500 list, thanks to rising oil prices and a slew of mergers that drove record profits. (more)  Exxon Mobil leads our list of top earners this year. Which other companies are among the most profitable on the planet? (more)  Which automaker lost a whopping $12.6 billion last year? And just how far into the red are stalwarts like Goodyear and Tyson Foods? (more) |
