All Stories
This section contains stories on topics concerning Volkswagen.
Red represents performance
Red is a popular colour for sporty top models. And now the ID.41 GTX is a vibrant new addition. Color & Trim Designer Mareike Hackbarth explains why red paintwork is such a good fit for Volkswagen models with power and performance.
Head meets Heart – ID.4 GTX
SUVs are booming. Their drivers love the sense of space and the sporting driving pleasure. But is it still in keeping with the times in light of the impending climate disaster? Frank Bekemeier, Chief Technology Officer for Electric Mobility at Volkswagen, and Jens Obernolte, Head of Energy and Weight Management, explain how the ID.4 GTX reconciles environmental awareness and driving pleasure.
Colourful like life: Volkswagen in football
With the final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium, UEFA EURO 2020TM draws to a close. For Volkswagen, the final is simply a stopover; the commitment to diversity lives on.
Visiting Carl Hahn on his 95th Birthday
On July 1, 2021, Carl Hahn will be 95 years old. The former Volkswagen CEO looks back on his past and shares his vision of the future.
“A T-Roc Cabriolet for almost any occasion”
Open or closed, daily journeys to work and to kindergarten, weekends away with a motorcycle trailer or caravan: The T-Roc Cabriolet is full of possibilities, not restrictions. We went camping at the coast – and chasing bends in the Harz. The open crossover was the ideal choice for the journey in every situation!
“Software opens the door to new business models”
The Volkswagen brand is undergoing the most radical transition in its history. After e-mobility, software is set to become the next big game changer. Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Board of Management for Development, and Klaus Zellmer, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, explain how the transformation will be achieved.
Travel Assist surroundings display with Benny Leuchter
Pro racer Benjamin Leuchter drives a Golf R in everyday life. But it isn’t just the car’s 235 kW (320 PS) that drew him in: Leuchter appreciates the new Golf’s assistance systems.
Volkswagen R breaks the barrier of 250,000 R models!
It all began in 2002 with the Golf R32. Volkswagen R has been exciting its global community of fans with the Volkswagen brand’s most sporty and emotional models ever since.
Green light for the electric island
The Greek island of Astypalea is set to become an electric island. This was agreed on by Volkswagen and the Greek government. Now, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have handed over the first electric cars.
“GTX has the potential to be synonymous with sporty e-mobility”
Jürgen Gietl is Managing Partner at Brand Trust, a consultancy firm that specialises in the positioning of brands. He is an author of books, a lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and is regarded as one of the most experienced experts in the field of technology brands in the German-speaking region. In an interview, he discusses GTX, the Volkswagen ID. family’s new performance brand.
Volkswagen is Committed to Biodiversity
At Volkswagen, biodiversity and the sustainable use of resources play an important role. On the United Nation’s international biodiversity day, the group is launching a call to all of its employees.
“The Golf GTI Clubsport 45 is quite simply an incredibly good car!”
Benjamin “Benny” Leuchter has a long GTI history and was directly involved in the development of the Golf GTI Clubsport 45. Right on time for the Wörthersee GTI fan convention, which has unfortunately been cancelled again in 2021, he introduces the highlights of that car – and meets the most important models of previous generations.
Eight GTI facts that you need to know!
It is often red, has checked seats and does not just have a sporty look – most people could tell you that much about the Golf GTI. A host of interesting stories and facts has accumulated over the past 45 years, and we have put these in print for you!
All-green electric: The ID. Family goes carbon-neutral
Volkswagen has committed itself to the Paris climate agreement. Which is why the company delivers ID. Family vehicles to customers with a carbon-neutral balance. In order that electric vehicles remain carbon-neutral during their usage phase, they must be charged with green electricity. To ensure that this is in good supply, Volkswagen supports investments in the generation of additional green electricity.
“Ranges of over 500 kilometres will soon be a matter of course”
Prof. Maximilian Fichtner is an internationally renowned expert in battery technology. In an interview, he talks about improved battery systems, alternatives to the use of cobalt and the climate advantage of e-cars.
Earth Day at Volkswagen: “I’m a professional climate protector”
To mark Earth Day on 22 April, the Volkswagen Group is giving all employees the opportunity to get involved in #Project1Hour: 660,000 employees will be given one hour, with their teams, to develop their own ideas to fight global warming. We introduce two Volkswagen brand employees who work to protect the climate on a daily basis. Motto: “I’m a professional climate protector.”
ID.6 accelerates Volkswagen’s e-offensive in China
China plays an essential role in the transformation towards the electrification and digitisation of the automotive industry worldwide, and in the achievement of Volkswagen’s core goals. We speak to Olaf Gutowski, Vice President Sales, Marketing and After-Sales of the Volkswagen China Passenger Cars Brand to analyse why, and what role the ID.6 will play in this.
Fully integrated: Volkswagen builds Industrial Cloud for all plants
It is a huge project: by developing the Industrial Cloud, the Volkswagen Group is amalgamating production data from more than 120 factories on a powerful digital platform. The objective: greater efficiency and lower costs. Long-term, the plan is to make suppliers part of the cloud as well, which would increase the benefits of the data exchange. This dossier explains how the development works and what benefits the cloud already yields.
Hello ID. Light! – How the new ID. models communicate with the vehicle occupants via a light strip
Digital assistants are increasingly taking over our everyday lives. They are the little helpers that play us our favourite songs on demand, tell us the weather or control the heating and lights in our homes. They often show whether they are receiving or communicating directly with us by means of a coloured light ring. This feature has also arrived in the latest generation of electric vehicles, the ID. family, in a very similar form – as ID. Light. This is a narrow light strip under the windscreen designed to intuitively assist the vehicle occupants. The ID. Light uses different light pulses to signal whether the car is ready to drive, which direction – according to the navigation system – it should turn next or whether the battery is currently being charged.
Golf R-oad trip On the road with Jasmin Preisig
Jasmin Preisig is a brand ambassador for Volkswagen importer AMAG in Switzerland, and also a racing driver. She took her place at the wheel of the new Golf R for a trip through Salzburger Land.
Dresden – the new “Home of the ID.”
Alongside the Autostadt, the Transparent Factory in Dresden will become the second delivery location for Volkswagen brand e-cars. As demand continues to grow, new delivery professionals are required. A former assembly worker talks about his retraining.
Elhadj As Sy: Volkswagen should be a champion for the environment
Powerful forces such as climate change and digitization are changing the world at a breathtaking pace. During a six-month project, 25 young Volkswagen experts worked out what demands companies will face and what a responsible path into the future might look like. In this interview, Elhadj As Sy, member of the independent Volkswagen Sustainability Council, and Anne-Kathrin Beugel, Volkswagen Future Heads Network, discuss the challenges of 2040. Future Heads involves more than 300 of the company’s employees on topics relating to future mobility and social responsibility.
Golf R Winter Challenge: Duel in Zell
A duel of equals. They are racing drivers as well as Volkswagen brand ambassadors: Jasmin Preisig and Benny Leuchter. They met in Zell am See for the Golf R Winter Challenge.
"Racism affects all of us"
On the International Day against Racism: Sarah Nonnenmacher, Diversity Manager at Volkswagen, explains the measures the Group and the brand are taking to reduce prejudice and make diversity the norm.
How Volkswagen is becoming a climate-neutral company
“The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time,” says Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen was the first automaker to commit to the Paris climate agreement back in 2018. By 2050, the company aims to be balance sheet CO₂ neutral. This dossier explains the efforts Volkswagen is making to protect the climate in many areas: in its products, in production and together with partners.
Power Day makes headlines
More than one million people worldwide followed the Volkswagen Group's two-hour event live. The media response was also varied and extremely positive.
Golf R Ice Challenge with Benny Leuchter & Jasmin Preisig
It’s Challenge Time! We sent our Golf R on an icy mission.
UBS study: Volkswagen joint world leader for electric cars as early as 2022
Well able to compete with Tesla, and a benchmark for other car manufacturers: that is how Patrick Hummel, Head of European and US Auto & Mobility Research at UBS, assesses the MEB electric platform from Volkswagen. For a study on behalf of UBS, “ID.3 teardown: The biggest EV opportunity – Buy“, published on March 2, specialists broke down the fully electric ID.3 into its individual parts. The result: The ID.3 based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB), is Volkswagen’s entry ticket to the electric age and the most impressive solution available from an established automotive company.
EV convertible? What is your opinion?
What if? An ID.3 convertible would be really appealing - enjoy nature electrically with roof open. We are still thinking about how such a concept could become a reality. Our design already has initial ideas. But the most exciting question is: what do you think? Does electric driving and an open roof go together?
“The Perfect Combination.”
As project leader on the development of the “We Score” app for the new Golf, Julius Merkel was right in his element: after all, cars and football are his great passions. The 24-year-old also possesses important characteristics, thanks to his hobby, in which he is regularly made the scapegoat.
Volkswagen begins electric car sharing in Hamburg
Rethinking mobility: Volkswagen Group has already succeeded in doing this with the WeShare pilot project in Berlin since 2019 – so successfully, in fact, that fully electric car sharing will now also be possible in Hamburg from February 25. With this expansion, Volkswagen is driving forward the roll-out of climate-friendly e-mobility and new mobility services in equal measure.
Taos & Nivus: Volkswagen takes off in South America
In South America, Volkswagen is launching the Taos, the first SUV of the brand produced in Argentina. At the same time, the in Latin America developed Nivus will come to Europe within this year. So it’s high time to take a closer look at both vehicles.
From mono-radio to online connectivity – the Golf radio generations
The Golf is a reflection of his time. No other high-volume model in the world has been offered under the same name for more than 40 years. Generation-by-generation the infotainment reflects the status quo of progress. The spectrum ranges from simple mono-radio (1974) to the current multimedia system with permanent online connection. If you look at this infotainment development, you open one time capsule after another, travelling from the past into the present.
"The Automated Driving Platform is a customized tool".
The Car.Software Organization and Microsoft will build the Automated Driving Platform (ADP), a cloud-based platform for the development of automated driving and parking functions. For the Volkswagen Group’s software company, the platform will be an important foundation with regard to the efficient development of customer functions for passenger cars. In an interview, Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of the Car.Software Organisation, explains why this step is important and what ADP is all about.
Perfectly equipped for the winter with 4MOTION all-wheel drive
4MOTION all-wheel drive by Volkswagen is a successful piece of technology with many different facets. The current extreme weather conditions present the ideal opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the technology and also take a brief look back.
“Good interior design should not be complicated”
SUV on the outside, mobile living space on the inside: The interior of the ID.4 offers plenty of room. An interview with Volkswagen Head of Interior Design Tomasz Bachorski about a new homely feeling in the vehicle, the customary safety standards of an SUV – and white steering wheels.
E-mobility is already this climate friendly today
Step-by-step on the way to a climate-neutral electric car: Using the ID.3 as an example, employees from Volkswagen’s Technical Development unit have examined how the carbon footprint of electric cars in Europe compares with that of internal combustion engines. With a clear result.
A car for all occasions
Plenty of space for family and leisure, compact for city traffic, and comfortable over longer journeys – there’s really nothing the new Volkswagen ID.4 can’t do.
E-car production for the world
Volkswagen is working flat out to expand its global production network for electric cars – the start of ID.3 production at the Transparent Factory in Dresden is the latest example. An overview.
From old to new – Battery recycling in Salzgitter
Something is happening in Salzgitter that has never been seen before in the Volkswagen Group – the first plant for recycling used electric car batteries is beginning operations. We look back at the development of this innovative and sustainable process.
How Volkswagen Automotive Cloud will help shape the connected car of tomorrow
Seattle may not be known as a hotbed for the U.S. automotive industry, but that’s changing thanks to the increasing importance of cloud computing for connected and autonomous vehicles. In recent years, Seattle’s nickname of “Cloud City” has not only referred to the weather, but for the industry built around some of the best cloud companies and experts in the world. That’s why Volkswagen Group chose the city to help shape the future of connected vehicles with the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud.
Volkswagen brings the auto show into the living room
Crowded halls filled with an international audience and thick throngs gathered in front of the podiums for the world premieres: What was part of any auto show prior to Corona has been taboo ever since the pandemic began. Volkswagen has therefore developed new formats that enable virtual car experiences. It is one of many examples that show how Volkswagen is becoming a more digital and sustainable company.
Take a stance. Speak out. Against hate and discrimination
On the occasion of this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Volkswagen Heritage spoke to two representatives of the Jewish community in Europe. Marian Turski (born in 1926) is a survivor of Auschwitz Concentration Camp and Chairman of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw. Dalia Grinfeld is a representative of contemporary Jewish life in Germany. She lives in Berlin and is the Assistant Director European Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The interview was conducted by Dieter Landenberger.
Energy expert: As much electrification as possible, as much hydrogen as necessary
Electricity or hydrogen? Germany is debating this question passionately once again. Dr. Felix Matthes is the research coordinator for energy policy at the Ökoinstitut and a member of the National Hydrogen Council. In this interview, he explains which technology makes sense in which areas and how the energy transition can succeed. We talked to him just a few weeks ago.
“Electromobility and the sustainable energy industry belong together”
With its electric offensive, Volkswagen Group has massively increased sales of e-vehicles and only just missed the EU targets for CO2 emissions from its new car fleet. In an interview, Rebecca Harms, a member of the independent Sustainability Council, calls for more small models and a fast pace regarding the so-called Energiewende, or energy transition.
“Every battery has to prove its safety in 5,000 tests”
Driving electric means driving safely: Before the battery systems of modern e-cars from Volkswagen hit the road, they have passed a lifetime of comprehensive safety checks. Dr. Michal Bruna is Head of Electronics Development and Testing at the Battery Development Center of Volkswagen Group Components in Brunswick. He explains what release tests the energy storage devices have to undergo.
On the way to becoming a climate-neutral company
The fight against global warming is one of the most important global challenges. We explain what Volkswagen is doing for climate protection.
Volkswagen reduces energy consumption at car dealerships
Reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions across all dealerships – that is the goal of Volkswagen Group Retail Germany (VGRD GmbH). By 2025, the dealership organization’s CO₂ emissions are to be reduced by 25 percent relative to 2014 levels.
Volkswagen experts continue to build the Industrial Cloud from the home office
In the future, a digital platform will network data from all Volkswagen Group plants. The aim is to make production more efficient. The expansion is continuing apace even during Corona times – with digital means.
CES: From tech gadgets to digital mobility
Since its founding in 1967, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become the leading trade show for digital mobility. To mark the start of the first purely digital CES: a look back at highlights from the last 53 years.
“42 graduates have the software world open to them”
In 2021, a new location of the renowned programming school 42 will start operations in Wolfsburg. Volkswagen supports the school through the association “42 Wolfsburg e. V.”. In this interview, HR Director Gunnar Kilian and Max Senges, Managing Director of 42 Wolfsburg, talk about the digitalization of the automotive industry and the exceptional learning approach of 42.
“With the cloud, we’re really taking off”
Volkswagen relies on cloud computing and thus on Hischam Abul Ola. He is a cloud architect, and his team develops IT environments in such a way that they help users to work faster and more efficiently.
„Charging stations belong in the center of cities“
Rainer Zietlow drove to 652 e-charging stations in Germany. He draws a positive conclusion - but also sees room for improvement.
Climate-friendly fuel for sea freighters
In order to reduce its CO2 emissions, Volkswagen is not only focusing on e-cars and climate-neutral production, but is also looking at the sea transportation of its vehicles. In order to operate car carriers in a more climate-friendly way, the Group is relying on fuel made from used vegetable oil from the catering and food industries.
City, country, motorway: let’s see where the ID.3 can take us!
“Range” is no problem for the new, fully-electric models from the ID. family. Thanks to some innovative technology, the ID.3 is ideally suited to dealing with any traffic situation. At the wheel of an electric model, your driving is different, more conscious, more targeted, more efficient – and driving is still fun! This is how!
“We share a love of cars.”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 3 – Astrid Göring and Tomasz Bachorski on their favourite places in Wolfsburg and Braunschweig.
"We make the digital products intuitive to use"
Caroline Schalwat is head of Customer Focus & Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. There, the 36-year-old works with her team on a user experience for the digital age. A portrait.
Fascination in just three letters
With the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen launched a sports car for everyone in 1976, hitting the pulse of the time. We look back and show how the sports car from Wolfsburg has developed from generation to generation.
ID.3: Volkswagen team focuses on digital project management
In the midst of the corona pandemic, the first e-car of a new era came onto the market: the ID.3. Since March, the project management has been functioning almost completely digitally. The new way of working has proven itself – and helps protect the climate.
“I sometimes think: Wow, we’re designing the future!”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 2 – Koukou Nian and Marco Pavone on the road in Wolfsburg.
A strong team behind a strong car
With the ID.3 a new era has begun at Volkswagen. Behind the electric model is a team that also consists of many successful women. Three of them explain how they made the ID.3 a special car.
VfL Wolfsburg leads the way in climate protection
E-cars, natural gas, emission certificates: As part of the "Race to Zero" initiative of the United Nations, the Bundesliga club wants to be the first professional soccer club in the world to be CO₂-neutral by 2025.
New cloud solution: virtual vehicle construction from the home office
During the corona pandemic, Volkswagen’s Technical Development team set up more than 1,000 digital workstations for computing-intensive tasks. The experts save a lot of time – while protecting the climate.
“Design is a team sport”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 1: Volkswagen designers Ingo Brückmann and Mathias Kuhn meet Klaus Zyciora, Head of Volkswagen Group Design, at the Volkswagen Group Future Center in Potsdam, from where they set off on a tour of their home city: Berlin.
Working with HIV: Volkswagen is flying the flag against discrimination
Today, people can live and work with HIV just like anyone else – yet they experience disadvantages in their everyday lives. By signing the #positivarbeiten (#workingpositively) declaration, Volkswagen Group has committed itself to protecting HIV-positive employees from discrimination and to promoting an open and respectful coexistence.
Swap car for laptop. The Sales Germany during Corona
During the pandemic, Volkswagen Sales Germany has been replacing many business trips with online meetings. Consequently, the salesforce is becoming both more digital and more sustainable.
Internal competition: Three designs for the Auto 2050
E-mobility and digitalization are revolutionizing our vehicles. At Volkswagen, the winners of a design competition for the ID.3 of the year 2050 have now been announced. Their designs impress with their high level of aerodynamics, spacious interior and freedom to enjoy.
"We're looking for the supercell!"
When Tim Dagger decided to study chemistry in 2008, there was initially little indication of a career in the automotive industry. Then electric mobility became increasingly important – and Tim bet on the right horse. “Since 2012 I have been working on lithium-ion technology. It makes me very happy to see how the technology is now helping electric cars penetrate the mass market,” says Tim.
“There is still a lot of catching up to do on equal rights”
Champions League title, Olympic gold medalist, World Goalkeeper of the Year. Almuth Schult has successfully been defending the goalposts of VfL Wolfsburg and the German national team for years. Since April of this year she has also been looking after her twin babies. An interview about child, career – and life at the top level.
Volkswagen developers rely on digital dialog
Volkswagen Technical Development (TE) in Wolfsburg: More than 11,000 employees work on innovations for future cars. With the corona lockdown in March, mobile working in home office was the order of the day for most employees. Skype & Co. connected the teams electronically so that development projects could continue. Another challenge: new dialog formats were necessary to ensure the flow of information from top to bottom (top-down) as well as from bottom to top (bottom-up). “The requirement to introduce digital formats for dialog with and among TE employees arose early on,” reports Agnese Riemere-Birk. In the TE Transformation department, she is responsible for “Change Communication”.
Astypalea: Smart, sustainable island
Astypalea up until now is probably only known to insiders. The small island is located in the Aegean Sea, it belongs to Greece and is especially known for its butterflies. This is likely to change in the future: Astypalea will become a model for smart, emission-free mobility. The island wants to prove that a purely electric transport system is already possible today – without any restrictions on the mobility of its inhabitants. We explain the details.
How to make Halloween your ID.4 festival
With our cutting template you can easily give your pumpkin the look of our new all-electric SUV.
A digital welcome for electronics developers
People who change jobs during the pandemic often do not get to know new colleagues personally. Electronics developers at Volkswagen have therefore introduced virtual welcome meetings. Their work is even more digital and at the same time more sustainable than before corona.
Start of the Variant: Wolfsburg plant builds the complete Golf family
Advance sales of the new Golf Variant have recently begun – the car is being built at the Wolfsburg plant. The complete Golf family is now rolling off the production line at Volkswagen’s headquarters. Some employees see an old friend again.
“A travel card covering all modes of transport”
Experts agree: the transport of the future must be networked. In an interview, Meike Niedbal, Head of Smart City at Deutsche Bahn, talks about the interaction of rail, car and e-scooters. She also explains why railway stations are gaining importance as co-working spaces.
“No person should have to hide their personality”
Respect, tolerance, living diversity – these are the goals of the LGBTIQ* and friends network #WeDriveProud at Volkswagen. One of its members is Alexander Selker, a doctoral student in Group Market Research. On Coming-Out Day he tells his story.
Volkswagen designers are creating even more digitally
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Volkswagen designers’ have been working even more frequently in the form of virtual reality. Many business trips are no longer necessary. This makes designing new cars not only more digital but also more climate friendly.
On a global journey with the new ID.4
The first electric SUV from Volkswagen is to become a world car: built globally, sold globally. Marco Franke and Tayfun Sentürk accompany the ID.4 from Zwickau to Tennessee and Shanghai.
When Volkswagen exchanged cars for sausages
Volkswagen Classic houses many treasures – including electric cars from 40 years ago and the GDR Golf, which was delivered to eastern Germany since 1978. In an interview, expert Sascha Neumann explains how history strengthens trust in the brand.
Jobs Created, Prosperity Earned
A special relationship exists between the former Volkswagen Group CEO Carl H. Hahn and Saxony. He was the head of Volkswagen when the Wall fell in 1989 – and pushed for the construction of new plants in the East. A retrospective:
30 Facts about Volkswagen in East Germany
Thirty years ago, people in the GDR brought down the wall separating East and West Germany in a peaceful revolution. The anniversary is an occasion to look back at the automotive industry in the eastern Federal states.
“The great gift for the last decade of this century”
The Day of German Unity was also a special day in the communications at Volkswagen. The employee newspaper “Autogramm” reported among other things on “a new VW plant in Mosel/Zwickau”. A historic journey.
From the Trabi to the ID.3
Bernd Perfölz knows them all. And does so intimately: the Trabant, the Polo, the Golf, the Golf Variant, the Passat – and now the ID.3. The reason is that the technical expert at the Volkswagen plant Zwickau started his apprenticeship as a communications technician at VEB Sachsenring Zwickau in 1972 when he was 17. A journey through time.
30th anniversary of the German reunification: Automaking East – a portrait of five car dealerships
Thirty years after the German reunification came down, Volkswagen is positioned very well in the states of eastern Germany. The reason for this is dealers who have strengthened the Group’s brands for decades. Five examples:
“The design of the ID.4 saves customers hard cash”
With the ID.4, Volkswagen presents the brand’s first fully electric SUV. The car is built and sold in Europe, China and later in the USA. In an interview, Klaus Zyciora, Head of Volkswagen Group Design, explains how to design a vehicle for different markets – and how customers benefit.
Electric, clean, SUV – ID.4 prior to the world premiere
The ID.4 is coming – the expectations are high: World car. With its first electric SUV, the Volkswagen brand wants to take e-mobility out of its niche in the key markets of Europe, China and the USA. The ID.4 will be produced and sold locally in all three regions. Just in time for the world premiere, this dossier provides the most important facts.
Pioneers in climate-friendly vehicle manufacturing
The Volkswagen Group is on its way to climate neutrality. An important component: new products such as the ID.4, the first fully electric SUV from the Volkswagen brand. The car, which is about to make its world premiere, will be built and sold in Europe, China and later also in the USA. "The ID.4 stands for clean mobility in a CO2 balance sheet neutral manner," says Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the brand. Like the ID.3, it leaves the Zwickau plant without a an ecological backpack. In addition to Zwickau, the pioneers of climate-friendly vehicle construction throughout the Group are the plants of Audi in Brussels, Bentley in Crewe and ŠKODA in Vrchlabí, Czech Republic, which are already producing CO2-neutral on their balance sheets.
“The ID.4 to become an electrically powered world car”
The ID.4 is the first electric SUV from Volkswagen. Expectations are high, as the new model is intended to drive the company’s e-offensive worldwide. In an interview, Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the brand, and Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Board of Management responsible for e-mobility, explain key strategic relationships.
A high-speed pace to prevent corona infections
Together, Volkswagen and the city of Wolfsburg want to be fast: When it comes to recognizing corona cases. When interrupting chains of infection. And fast when it comes to preventing the possible closure of company departments or public institutions. To achieve this, Volkswagen is setting up its own test containers at its German locations – the results of the tests are delivered by a new center at the municipal hospital in Wolfsburg within 24 hours at the latest. So far, in five cases, corona infections have already been detected at an early stage and, above all, their spread has been prevented.
A happy end in the Autostadt: Trainees drive to the Wörthersee
Thirteen aspiring young talents from all over Germany worked together to create a special car: the Golf GTE HyRACER. As a team, they learned a lot and developed their technical skills. The extraordinary training project was organized by Volkswagen Group Retail Germany.
Electric mobility for all: Volkswagen is launching five electrified Golf models
With the models of the ID family Volkswagen continues to drive forward its electrification campaign and in parallel is launching an entirely new spectrum of innovative hybrid drive systems for its established product range. With three new eTSI engines (48V mild hybrid) and two new plug-in hybrid drives – Golf eHybrid and Golf GTE - , the Golf is now the Volkswagen model line with the most diverse hybrid spectrum. Together with the new, all-electric ID.3, for which there will be three different battery sizes, Volkswagen will therefore offer one of the most systematically electrified compact class vehicle ranges in the world.
Record breaking all-electric drive to Switzerland
Efficiency master Felix Egolf took the first ID.3 to Switzerland. He drove the model with the medium battery pack (420 kilometers according to WLTP) from the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau to Schaffhausen – and mastered a distance of 531 kilometers with just one single battery charge. A record drive.