After the complete destruction of German industry in the Second World War, Germany had to rebuild its auto industry from the ground up. The terrible state of affairs in 1945 has been reported in detail in this survey by German engineers: https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2022/07/state-of-german-motor-industry-1945.html
Of all the companies, Volkswagen was in the best shape and despite being earmarked for destruction by the British authorities, the company would survive and thrive, becoming one to the biggest automakers in the world. https://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-death-and-resurrection-of-volkswagen.html
This report on the state of affairs in Germany was published in the British motoring magazine, The Autocar on 21 January 1994.
