All Press Releases

At the São Paulo International Motor Show on 6 November, Volkswagen will celebrate the world premiere of an extraordinary pickup concept, which fuses the features of a digitally networked SUV and the versatility of a consistently well-thought-out pickup to form a new, urban-oriented vehicle. One of the especially noteworthy innovations of this concept is the multivariable loading area: in just a couple of simple steps it can be significantly extended thanks to the folding rear panel of the double cab.

In September, the Volkswagen brand delivered fewer vehicles throughout the world than in the same month of the previous year: in total, 485,000 vehicles were handed over to customers, representing a fall of 18.3 percent compared with September 2017. This development was chiefly due to the effects of the WLTP changeover in Europe and especially in Germany, where deliveries were 42.6 and 47.1 percent respectively below the figures for the same month of the previous year. However, the outstanding figures reported since the beginning of the year have helped to soften the fall experienced in September. In the year to date, some 4,622,900 vehicles have been handed over to customers throughout the world. The brand therefore remains above the figure for the corresponding period of the previous year, with a rise of 2.9 percent. Volkswagen Board Member for Sales Jürgen Stackmann: “The year to date has been the most successful ever for Volkswagen. Developments in September were a setback, but we had been expecting this following the records in the summer. October will also be affected by the changeover to the WLTP test procedure. Currently, we have obtained WLTP approval for high-volume variants of all 14 Volkswagen brand models. By the end of the year, the changeover should have been virtually completed. This is why we expect a return to our old strength. From November, we will be ready for the end-of-the-year sprint in Europe.“

Entering into a strategic partnership, Volkswagen and Microsoft Corp. will collaborate to develop the ‘Volkswagen Automotive Cloud’, one of the largest dedicated automotive industry clouds for all future Volkswagen digital services and mobility offerings. The Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG approved the conclusion of an agreement to this effect between Volkswagen and Microsoft on September 28, 2018. Volkswagen therefore continues to forge ahead with its digital transformation at full speed. With Microsoft as its strategic partner, the company is taking a decisive step in its digital transformation into a mobility provider with a fully connected vehicle fleet and the digital ecosystem “Volkswagen We”.

Volkswagen of America has demonstrated the potential of the new Jetta at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA. Here a specially equipped Jetta broke the previous world speed record of its class for land vehicles with 338 km/h. Only a few weeks after the success of the electrically powered I.D R Pikes Peak at the “Race To The Clouds” in the Rocky Mountains and at Goodwood Hill Climb in the UK, Volkswagen has secured its third record.

The Volkswagen brand handed over 513,300 vehicles to customers worldwide in August, representing an increase of 3.7 percent compared with the same month of the previous year and a new record for the month of August. All in all, 4,137,900 vehicles were delivered from January to August, a rise of 6.2 percent compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, and a further record. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales, commented: “August was another strong month for the Volkswagen brand in many markets: we posted record deliveries for the month of August and for the period January-August. We will be able to deliver far fewer vehicles in Europe in September due to the changeover to the WLTP test procedure. October will also get off to a subdued start, but we are expecting a strong performance from the Volkswagen brand in November and December in particular.”

Volkswagen will launch its new Teramont SUV in the Middle East. As a seven-seater, it is the first Volkswagen of its kind in this region. Its American counterpart – named Volkswagen Atlas – has already won several awards. Since 2017, the large SUV has also stirred great interest among customers in China. This titan of the road is now forging ahead as part of Volkswagen's SUV success story.

Volkswagen in transition: the company is speeding up the development of its ecosystem with its own software know-how and the strength of external partners. The automobile will evolve into a central hub in the Internet of Things.

At Monterey Car Week (21 – 26 August) in California Volkswagen will be showcasing two German/US American studies on the basis of the Atlas SUV: the Atlas Tanoak Concept pick-up and the dynamic SUV Atlas Cross Sport. The progressively designed and developed all-wheel drive models illustrate the potential that lies within the Atlas range. Klaus Bischoff, Head Designer at Volkswagen: "Thanks to the Atlas Cross Sport we are introducing a high design standard to the full-size SUV category. The Atlas Tanoak is our version of the American dream – a genuine pick-up with clear-cut Volkswagen elements and a futuristic, digital vehicle interior architecture."

The Volkswagen brand continues on its growth path: with 505,900 vehicles delivered in July, the brand reported a rise of 8.4 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. All in all, the brand handed 3,624,600 cars over to customers from January to July, representing an increase of 6.5 percent compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales: “This was the best July in the history of the Volkswagen brand. We are continuing our upward trend and are significantly ahead of the prior-year figure after seven months. With cumulative deliveries of 3.6 million vehicles, we have outperformed the Volkswagen brand’s previous record for this period. However, the next few months will be more challenging. The changeover to the WLTP test procedure will probably lead to delays in deliveries affecting certain model lines in Europe.”

Volkswagen is still on the hunt for new records: only a few weeks after the success of the electric ID. R Pikes Peak in the “Race To The Clouds” held in the Rocky Mountains and in the UK’s Goodwood Hill Climb and it’s already time for the next sporting highlight. Between 11 and 17 August, Volkswagen of America will be aiming to break the land speed record in the BGC/G class of the Southern California Timing Association on Lake Bonneville – the salt flats in the US state of Utah – with its specially prepared but near-production version of the new-generation Jetta.