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The Volkswagen brand delivered 512,700 vehicles to customers worldwide in June 2017, an increase of 4.0 percent compared with the previous year. In total, 2,935,100 vehicles from the Volkswagen brand were handed over to customers worldwide in the first half of the year, representing a slight increase of 0.3 percent on the prior-year figure. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales, commented: "The Volkswagen brand saw worldwide deliveries increase in June as well as overall for the first half of the year, and recorded strong growth in China and other key regions. There was a robust increase in the South America region even though further products will only be launched towards the end of the year. In the USA, the Atlas got off to a successful start in the first two months of sales and helped the brand outpace market growth. The Tiguan is an important global catalyst and will be also launched on the North American market in the second half of the year. Other new models such as the Polo, Arteon and Tiguan Allspace give us further grounds for optimism as regards the second half of the year."

The Volkswagen brand model line-up expands with the new Arteon. The notably dynamic fastback model was presented to the public for the first time at the Geneva International Motor Show in March and is now available in German Volkswagen dealer showrooms.

The Volkswagen brand delivered 513,500 vehicles to customers worldwide in May, an increase of 3.5 percent compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales, commented: "May was a successful month for the Volkswagen brand. Our deliveries grew in almost all key markets. As a result, our overall delivery figures for the period January to May are at last year's level. We continued our SUV offensive with the successful launch of the Atlas, thus making our debut in an important segment in the USA. Further new models will reinforce this positive momentum in the coming months. The Volkswagen brand's competitive position will continue to improve."

They are fractions of a second which matter at night: a section of country road that has many bends, a bend in a residential area with poor road lighting – and there might be an obstacle in the dark somewhere on the road. The Arteon is the first Volkswagen to offer a dynamic cornering light with new predictive control functionality. The LED dual headlights illuminate the upcoming bend up to two seconds sooner before the vehicle is even steered into it. The Arteon's new lighting system develops these 'clairvoyant' powers by networking with the front camera and the navigation system.

Today sees the start of this year's GTI meet at Lake Wörthersee (24 to 27 May). Around 200,000 fans will again make the pilgrimage to Kärnten for the unique festival. Volkswagen will be there with several automotive surprises. For example, with the world premiere of the near-production prototype of the 85 kW / 115 PS up! GTI – a car that pays homage to the 110 PS original GTI from 1976. Just ahead of the start of the GTI meet, the latter has yesterday evening scooped a remarkable prize: as part of the publication's annual awards, readers of English motoring magazine Autocar crowned the first Golf GTI the most influential car of all time! Another world premiere at Wörthersee: the Golf GTE Performance Concept. Instead of 150 kW / 204 PS, the plug-in hybrid drive system of this concept car develops a system output of 200 kW / 272 PS. System torque rises from 350 to 450 Nm.

Tomorrow, a very special Golf GTI is to make its world debut at the Wörthersee meeting. 13 apprentices from Volkswagen and Sitech are waiting anxiously as they will be presenting the first GTI that also features electric propulsion: the Golf GTI First Decade. The name indicates that this show car is the 10th apprentices' GTI to be presented by talented young people from Wolfsburg at the traditional GTI fans' meeting in Austria. The Golf GTI First Decade was created in slightly less than nine months on the basis of ideas provided by apprentices in six vocations. In the interior and exterior design, the five women and eight men were inspired by the many and varied blue tones of water and sky on the Wörthersee.

A circle closes 41 years after the debut of the first Golf GTI: at this year's GTI Meet at Lake Wörthersee (24 to 27 May), Volkswagen is presenting a compact, sporty car very much in the spirit of the original GTI – the new up! GTI. The concept and power output of the 85 kW / 115 PS up! are broadly in line with the Golf GTI MkI presented in 1976 that had 81 kW / 110 PS. The near-production concept car pays tribute to this icon – with compact dimensions, a low weight, a powerful engine, sports running gear and the typical insignia of a GTI (including red stripes in the radiator grille, seat covers in "clark" tartan pattern). This sporty small car will certainly bring a new dimension of driving fun to the compact class. A typical GTI feature is the sophisticated sports running gear. It gives the car the agility akin to that of a go-kart, yet it also offers a high level of comfort. The production version of the up! GTI will be launched into the market in early 2018.

The Arteon is a gran turismo, ideal for long distances. The new, optionally available "adaptive cruise control ACC" with predictive speed control gives enhanced comfort over long distances. The further developments in "ACC" can integrate speed limits for the first time. So far, the assistance system was known purely as cruise control: adjust the desired speed, that's all. Within system limits, "adaptive cruise control ACC" can take over braking and acceleration. So far, so good. However, anyone who has ever driven a car with "ACC" will have wished that the system could "think" and also take into account bends and speed limits, thus adding even more comfort. The Arteon is the first Volkswagen to do just that: within system limits, it reacts to bends and speed limits and integrates them into the adaptive speed control.

It's a scenario that no one wishes for: traffic lights on red, a look in the rear-view mirror, the vehicle behind is approaching much too fast – a rear-end crash is looming. In such situations, the new, optional 'Pre-Crash occupant protection system' in the Arteon now provides assistance to the limit of its capabilities. For the first time, the Pre-Crash sensors are able to react not only to processes relating to driving dynamics (detected by functions such as the ESC) and to acute risks of collision from the front (registered by Front Assist), but also to hazards at the rear. For this the system uses data from Side Assist. Within fractions of a second it is able to initiate measures to lessen wherever possible the consequences of any accident.

'Autonomous driving' – a term currently generating more animated discussion than almost any other in the automotive world. It fascinates and polarises in equal measure. The fact is: automated driving functions increase comfort and often safety as well. The new Arteon is therefore fitted with more driver assistance systems than any Volkswagen before. These systems are interconnected with each other, as it is the interaction of their sensors and computers that actually makes autonomous driving functions possible. Through the fusion of four driver assistance systems, the Arteon possesses a form of technology that in many circumstances can help to prevent serious accidents: Emergency Assist 2.0. As soon as the sensors of the avant-garde gran turismo notice that the driver has become incapacitated, the Arteon takes over the proverbial helm. Within the bounds of its system capabilities, it warns other road users and automatically steers to the nearside lane, where it stops.