WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - The car business is weakening, but VW was able to set another record for one product in 2024: The VW currywurst sold better than ever before. 8.552 million units were sold in canteens and supermarkets in 2024, as the Works Council announced in a post on the intranet, which was made available to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. This was a good 200,000 more than in the previous record year of 2023, a Group spokeswoman confirmed.

"With over 8 million Volkswagen Original Currywurst sausages sold, we are celebrating a new sales record," wrote Chief Human Resources Officer Gunnar Kilian on LinkedIn.

Almost as many sausages as cars

This means the Group sold almost as many sausages as cars. In contrast to sausages, vehicle sales shrank by 2.3 percent in 2024 to 9.03 million models across all Group brands. For the core VW brand, the sausage is even by far the best-selling product. In 2024, the 8.5 million sausages were offset by around 5.2 million cars and vans with the VW logo.

The company attributes the record to new variants such as the hot dog sausage launched in 2021, which sold almost 2.18 million units last year. The classic currywurst sold 6.317 million units. This compares to seven million in 2019 and 6.5 million in the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Further variants are to follow, Kilian announced. "Our next Currywurst coup is already in the works!"

Currywurst ban called former Chancellor Schröder to the scene

The banishment of the classic dish from a VW canteen in Wolfsburg caused a nationwide stir in 2021. In particular, the reaction of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder about the "energy bar of the skilled worker in production" fueled a debate about meat consumption in companies at that time. In 2023, VW lifted the currywurst ban in the canteen in question. The meat product had always remained on offer in the other more than 30 canteens and kiosks in the plant.

The VW currywurst was launched in 1973. In Lower Saxony, it is also available in many supermarkets. It is produced in the butchery of the company's own Volkswagen Service Factory. VW even gave it its own part number: 199 398 500 A./fjo/DP/mis

In my last post, it was a wood pigeon that now lives with me. This time, it’s a young blackbird. Early last night, it likely perched on a tree and got stuck there. I spotted it this morning through the window and initially thought it might be some kind of courtship behaviour since it flapped its wings occasionally but didn’t fly away (I’m not very familiar with blackbirds). Upon closer inspection, I realised it was hanging upside down, probably the entire night.

I went outside and saw that its legs were completely entangled in some string, which was also wrapped around the branch. The tree had to be bent forcefully, and the bird was carefully freed with a small pair of scissors. It was rather cold and kept closing its eyes, but it was still breathing. Since blackbirds are small, I was able to warm it up, took it home, and placed it in a cage.

At first, it was so exhausted that it couldn’t even stand and just slept. Now, it’s doing better. It’s standing, sometimes sleeping, but often has its eyes open, looking around. It has plenty of food and water and seems to be on the road to recovery. Some time it's also eating. Hopefully, I’ll be able to release it back into the wild soon. I will wait till it is more vital and at least ate enough.

This brings me to an important appeal to everyone reading this:

Please don’t throw anything with strings or threads away outdoors.

You often see pigeons with their feet tangled in various threads or even dental floss. It doesn’t just affect pigeons; it can harm all birds. What happened to the blackbird here is one possibility, but in many cases, the string cuts off circulation, causing parts to die off. I once rescued a pigeon in such a condition; its foot had already become necrotic and fallen off (it survived and was released)

Edit few days later: Little bird recovered fast. It was vital and could fly. And now it is flying somewhere around in my neighbourhood. I am glad everything worked! :)

Weeks ago I found this wood pigeon near my apartment door, it was a bloody mess. It survived somehow an attack from a cat and few more things. Also walking was not possible, the smell from the wing was foul and a part from the beak was short, which means that someone went with her/him to a vet, since the shortened half of the beak means that its beak is crossed.

Few weaks passed and I managed and everything is besser now. The wounded wing part fell of fastly and that is sad. Cats are often fuckers which enjoy to "play" with birds without even eating them. But now this wood pigeon is doing well.

It can't fly anymore and needs time to understand it. Its well fed and is, typical for pigeons, very picky now. My other two pigeons are a bit skeptical regarding her, wood pigeons look different and are larger. They can mate, but the fertility of the squab wound be good.

Good thing is, it seems to trust und like us more and more. It is nod easy to befriend a wood pigeon, they are not domesticated, but also important, since it can't fly and needs my help. But it is working.

Legally I am not allows to keep it. I have to give it to a local clinic for birds and government would actually pay for the treatment. But they would put my wood pigeon down since it can't fly anymore. Special nursing homes usally don't have any free space.

I was in a museum today which not only had skeletons of dinosaurs and many other animals, but also a bird exhibition consisting of stuffed animals. And in the section for pigeons, I was finally able to admire the largest species of pigeon.

Of course I also bought a souvenir: small book about the history of pigeons and their relationship to humanity from ancient times till today. And it also it contains beautiful pictures of paintings containing pigeons. I will read this book to my two pigeons so they can learn more about their relatives

This big pigeon is called victoria crowned pigeon. Can get 75 cm tall (30 in) and reach a weight of 3,5 kg (7.7 lb).

They make a huge mess, but I am used to it. They are cuddling the most time there. I just provide them fresh water every day.

Hello,

I am using Voyager as a client for Lemmygrad and I would like to start posting videos on my Community named pigeon. I have only the option to post pictures. Do I need to use some other site where I have to upload it or is maybe my client missing the option.

Thank you in advance for your help

She is tired from basically doing nothing

I was treated by pigeons in a superior manner to that which I was treated by my parents or other humans. In light of this profound insight, I developed an alternative theory, namely pigeonism, which represents a significant improvement on communism.

Pigeons are demonstrably superior to humans, and thus the means of production should rightfully belong to them. This insight was revealed to me in a dream. Social equality can be defined as pigeon equality. Those who exploit pigeons, including capitalists, birds of prey, falconers and humans who cook and eat pigeons, will be incarcerated in a facility akin to the Gulag, where they will be compelled to work and undergo re-education to foster their appreciation for pigeons. The severity of the crime will determine the length of incarceration.

Pigeons are cool.