51°02′40″N13°45′20″E / 51.04444°N 13.75556°E /51.04444; 13.75556
TheTransparent Factory was a car factory and exhibition space inDresden, Germany owned by German carmakerVolkswagen (throughVolkswagen Sachsen GmbH subsidiary) and designed by architect Gunter Henn of theHenn GmbH firm. It originally opened in 2002, producing theVolkswagen Phaeton until 2016. As of 2017, it produced the electric version of theGolf. TheID.3 was the last car produced there, from January 2021 until the factory's closure in December 2025.
The original German name isGläserne Manufaktur (meaning factory made of glass). Both the German and English names are aword play on the double meaning oftransparent andglassy, referring to bothoptical transparency andtransparency of the production process.
The factory originally assembled Volkswagen's luxury sedan, thePhaeton. It used 60,000 magnets in its fully automated assembly line. Spare capacity was also used to buildBentley Continental Flying Spur vehicles destined for the European market until 2006, when all work was transferred toBentley's plant inCrewe,England. Production of the Bentley Flying Spur resumed in late 2013. The factory only handled final assembly. Operations such as stamping and welding and the painting of the steel bodies took place inZwickau. Painted bodies arrived at the factory by truck. The other 1200 parts and 34 preassembled components were shipped to a logistics center and are transported to the factory byCarGoTrams that run on Dresden's public transport tracks. All vehicle production at the factory ended in March 2016, before restarting again in 2017. TheVolkswagen ID.3 was produced here since January 2021, sharing production with theZwickau-Mosel Plant.[1]
The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, an 800-year-oldbaroque city known for its arts and craftsmanship. It stands in a corner of theGroßer Garten, where a convention center was located before the Second World War. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple. Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 250 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts. Volkswagen planted 350 trees on the grounds.[2]
Visitors can test drive VW electric vehicles for 30 minutes, take a virtual tour of Dresden and look at various exhibits relating to VW's electric and hybrid technologies.
TheGläserne Manufaktur also provided visitors with a series of educational attractions relating to the VW Phaeton. The attractions, designed by BRC Imagination Arts,[3] include Vision World, a multimedia "global theater" that allows visitors to take the pulse of the planet in real time; a Virtual Test drive, featuring a real VW Phaeton combined with motion base technology and computer-generated scenery; a computer-based Car Configurator that enables visitors to design the VW Phaeton of their dreams; an interactive Techwall explaining the workings of the Phaeton's infotainment system; a Virtual Production Tour; and a media-enhanced Delivery Experience for customers taking possession of new vehicles.
The German TV channelZDF occasionally filmed a philosophical panel discussion in the Transparent Factory,Das Philosophische Quartett (The Philosophical Quartet).
To stop birds from flying into the glass, an outdoor speaker system emulates bird vocalisations marking the territory as "taken".[4]
The factory closed in December 2025 in the Volkswagen Group's first domestic (German) manufacturing plant closure.[5]
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