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Stories
This section contains stories on topics concerning Volkswagen.
The visionary in China
Carl H. Hahn, former CEO of Volkswagen Group, in the 1980s brought the company to China. By creating an automotive industry, he worked with Volkswagen to fuel the country’s economic and social development. For his dedication to the country, China Newsweek has named Carl Hahn “Person of the Year.”
Looking back at 2018
Referring to the Volkswagen brand, chief Herbert Diess likened the year 2018 to the first five kilometers of a marathon. The electric and SUV offensive and the transition from a pure carmaker to a mobility provider - those are big tasks. But even during these initial few kilometers, Volkswagen already took some big steps. Here are the ten most important successes of 2018.
With high-tech as a standard
Back in the days, it even left some of the classier sports cars in its wake: the Corrado. Engine power, road-holding ability and design elements formed an extraordinarily dynamic package. This year, the rapid 2+2-seater from Osnabrück celebrates its 30th birthday. We show what technical refinements and visual aspects still live on in today’s Volkswagen models.
Learning from the best
For the Best Apprentice Award ceremony, 46 of the best apprentices in the Volkswagen Group were guests in Wolfsburg for four days.
Partner for a New Era
The all-electric, fully networked ID. will debut in 2020. Roughly 30 suppliers gathered for “MEB Supplier Day,” including representatives from Elektrobit Automotive GmbH. Together with other companies, they are working on the software for the ID.
Operating return is to rise quicker
Volkswagen will further accelerate the pace of its transformation, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ralf Brandstätter announces. The operating return on sales should reach at least 6 percent by 2022.
What's the pastor raving about?
Electric cars are only good for city driving? Wrong! Car sharing only works for an urban, app-friendly target group? Wrong! A small municipality near Bremen is proving that e-car sharing in rural areas can be a success.
German energy mix slows down e-mobility
To coincide with the Auto Summit in Wolfsburg, Herbert Diess published an article in the German daily paper "Handelsblatt" which he discussed the contribution of the automotive industry to environmental and climate protection.
“One of the most iconic cars!”
Next summer, the last Beetle will roll off the assembly line. Roughly 20 years after the premiere of the New Beetle, its production will come to an end. The Beetle celebrates its farewell with the “Final Edition” – inspired by the “Última Edición” of the legendary Beetle in 2003.
Bye bye, Beetle
The New Beetle has united tradition and lifestyle since its launch in 1998. It and its successor, which was introduced in 2011, have attracted millions of fans around the world. The last car will be produced in 2019.
Grand finale - Johan showing off
The last race of a motorsport season is always something very special. Even more when it´s time for the final of one of the most spectacular racing series in the world: the World Rallycross Championship, the WRX.
Economy Formula E
Pole position for savers: Already in the 1980s, an innovative set of fuel saving options was available for Polo, Golf, and Co.
The race toward autonomous driving
Volkswagen Group is investing around EUR 44 billion by 2023 in key technologies to shape mobility in the future. In an interview with the German sunday paper “Welt am Sonntag” (18th of November 2018), CEO Herbert Diess describes the steps to making driverless cars a reality.
"We want to make the e-car popular"
Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand, "E-Mobility" Division, on the opportunities offered by e-mobility, Volkswagen's role and the largest qualification offensive in the company's history.
All about Europe’s most efficient e-car factory
Volkswagen is actively promoting its electric offensive, thus creating global production capacities for one million electric cars. The center of the transformation is Zwickau in Saxony
E-mobility – Made in Germany
If the Supervisory Board approves the plans this Friday, Emden and Hanover will be transformed into production sites for electric vehicles. In doing so, Volkswagen implements its electric strategy consistently.
Biggest qualification program, ever
At the Zwickau plant, Volkswagen will train almost all of the 7,700 employees between 2019 and 2021 for the production of electric vehicles. The expense is immense – but justified. Ultimately, Zwickau will take the lead in production of e-models.
E-Mobility for everybody? Just like this ...
Volkswagen wants to make e-mobility affordable and attractive for millions of customers. The core of the e-mobility iniative: new models at low prices, significantly greater range and innovations in charging infrastructure.
Car city Zwickau: From Horch to e-mobility
Zwickau has been considered the cradle of the Saxon automotive industry for 114 years. By 2020, the Volkswagen Group will develop the site to become Europe’s largest competence center for electromobility. A chronicle.
Charged up for more than 40 years
Volkswagen has a history of electric mobility? There’s probably not much to tell yet, some might think. But the reality is somewhat different: Volkswagen began conducting research into purely electrically powered vehicles back in the early 1970s.
Three brothers – one passion
30 years ago, Patrick, Paul and Vincent Postma fell in love with Volkswagen Beetle convertibles. They turned their passion for classic Beetles and the ‘Bulli’ camper van into a successful business model.
Into pole position with “Faculty 73”
Volkswagen AG is now training its own new generation of IT experts. Interested applicants with “IT passion” from both inside and outside of the Group can apply until November 4. In spring 2019, the first 100 participants will start with the innovative “Faculty 73” program, a two-year course culminating in a junior software developer qualification. In 2021, the future co-workers will then be in pole position to launch their careers in a promising field. In addition, they will be given contracts for permanent employment at Volkswagen.
Red Sparrow is an all-rounder
Car blogger and editor of AUTOmativ.de, Benjamin Brodbeck drove the Polo over GTI 3,000 km through the Italian and Austrian Alps and the style-metropolis of Vienna.
Who develops the operating system for future cars?
Cars will soon be fully connected, linked up to the Internet of Things and involved in constant data exchange. The basis for this is being laid by the 1,400 employees in the Electrics/Electronic Development department in Wolfsburg.
Cool car, cool event!
With loud drums and dazzling laser lights, the latest and smallest member of Volkswagen’s SUV family introduces itself in Amsterdam – the T-Cross. “I am more” is its motto and with that much confidence, you get to celebrate three world premieres: Shanghai, Amsterdam and Sao Paulo. But let’s go to the Netherlands, first!
Top Grade: Five stars from Euro NCAP
The Touareg has received a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP because it offers a maximum of security. Rolf Bergmann from Global Safety Affairs Volkswagen explains what makes it so safe.
Where the roads end ...
Nine hours of driving, for a distance of 154 Kilometers. That’s hell, when you’re stuck in gridlock on a motorway. But if you drive in a world without roads and don’t even notice how slow you’re going – that’s bliss.
Trainees keep the memory alive
For 30 years, the Volkswagen Group has worked in cooperation with the International Auschwitz Committee to promote the work of the memorial. Trainees help regularly to preserve the Auschwitz and Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp memorial sites as places of remembrance.
“The best of all automotive worlds”
Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are on trend. They are safe, comfortable and give drivers a feeling of freedom. On the trail of a success story.
Only e-cars: First factory in China
The electrification strategy of the Volkswagen Group China is rapidly gaining pace on the world’s biggest market for e-mobility. In Zwickau, Germany, the group-wide largest production line is currently being built, scheduled to start production of the electric ID car in summer 2019.
Let there be light!
In its lighting competence center Volkswagen is working hard on developing the light of the future. The engineers, lighting designers, software developers, electronics engineers, and researchers working in Wolfsburg have now presented the fruits of their work to the general public for the first time.
Married ... with Motorsports
Petter Solberg’s last appearance in the World Rally Championship came back in 2012. But in a few days, at the end of October, the 2003 world champion returns – in a Polo GTI R5. As always, he can count on the support of his motorsport-mad family.
Secret meeting with the new rally Polo
The Polo GTI R5 – the rally Polo for customer sport – is available now. Future owners were able to experience the hottest Polo up close and personal on a very special taxi ride.
“There’s a misperception about the automotive industry.”
Volkswagen CEO Dr. Herbert Diess has criticized the way politics is handling CO2 emission limits and coal-based power, and warned against oversimplified accusations about climate protection. Here are some excerpts from the interview with German daily “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Huh or hey?
Last year, Volkswagen Group launched its very own multi-brand online used car portal, heycar, where around 310,000 cars are currently waiting for a new owner.
Powerful and scalable
Volkswagen wants to make e-mobility attractive for millions of customers. The new battery system developed for the Mo-dular e-drive modular system helps to achieve this - with scalable ranges between 330 and more than 550 kilometers.
Treasures in the glove compartment
The glove compartment. Endless depth and width. Room for whatever is practical, useful, expendable, indispensable, treasured – there is room for almost everything in the odds-and-ends compartment of the dash panel. Just what is in there? A team of reporters spent an afternoon researching this question in their neighbourhoods and at a well-visited motorway rest stop. And they turned up some astounding answers.
Spectacular hill climb event in Bavaria
Volkswagen started with six cars at the 2018 Edelweiß Bergpreis Rossfeld
Plant productivity to increase 30 percent
Volkswagen has set itself ambitious goals with its new TRANSFORM.TOGETHER production strategy. The Board of Management sees efficiency potential of EUR 2.6 billion by 2025.
“We will be one of the best in productivity”
The Volkswagen brand aims to achieve a competitive return of at least 6 percent through increased efficiency to finance key future investments from operating activities. In this way, the company will secure today’s jobs for the future. One of the biggest efficiency levers for the brand is found in production. Today in Berlin, the Volkswagen brand is presenting its new TRANSFORM.TOGETHER production strategy. The central goal is to increase productivity by 30 percent by 2025.
Find out more in the interview with Dr. Andreas Tostmann, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Production, and Dr. Robert Cisek, Head of Production Strategy.
How to charge an e-vehicle? — It’s easy!
Volkswagen is not only developing electromobility of the future, but also the related infrastructure. Worries about range, the availability of charging stations and long charging times will be a thing of the past.
Happening in orange
The creme21 youngtimer rallye has become a legend. Volkswagen Classic enriched the 17th cult event with three cool classic cars.
Just unveiled: The new ID. chassis!
For the first time, Volkswagen presents the chassis of the world’s first fully connected, fully functional e-vehicle family. Production will start in late 2019.
All about the MEB
What is the new modular electric drive matrix (MEB) capable of? And why is it key to the success of Volkswagen’s “ELECTRIC FOR ALL” vision? An overview.
"Now the crucial phase begins!"
From Monday on, it is all about e-mobility at Volkswagen.
In Dresden, more details of the ID.-family will be revealed. At the same time, the brand new communication campaign “electric for all” starts. We talked about that with Thomas Ulbrich, member of the board of management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for e-mobility and Christian Senger, responsible for the development of the all-electric architecture.
Diess and Osterloh: The big double interview
Interview with Volkswagen’s CEO and the Chairman of the Works Council about VfL Wolfsburg’s good start to the season, the problems with WLTP, the new importance of Production, and the “half-time score” for the Pact for the Future
3D printing in action
3D printing is increasingly making its presence felt in automobile production. Such printing processes are already being used to build prototypes and make tools. Volkswagen has now joined forces with the technology company HP to use 3D metal printing in mass production.
Family Trip
Thousands of fans celebrate the Beetle Sunshine Tour to Wolfsburg 2018
Totally digital
From DigiFiz to Active Info Display – development of the digital cockpit
Night shift in the underground car park
Sixteen thousand GTI fans come to Wolfsburg for the second Coming Home Festival
Volkswagen We: Digital on the road
A platform for digital mobility services - what could it look like? The Volkswagen We ecosystem shows how it works. It can already be used today.
“Our customers can continue to order the most popular models”
The Volkswagen brand expects an orderly transition to the new WLTP test procedure. The systematic, temporary storage of vehicles contributes to providing customers with the shortest possible waiting times.
“Design has to be experienced with all senses.”
The Head of Volkswagen Design, Klaus Bischoff, on the new tasks for designers, the challenges posed by the transformation of mobility and why the C-pillar of the Golf is one of the most important assets of the company.
Classic cars driving on the most beautiful and romantic routes of Saxony
Sachsen Classic is Saxony's longest automobile museum on the streets of the Free State for the 16th time.
Automatically bound for the future
The history of autonomous driving at Volkswagen
Volkswagen develops the largest digital ecosystem in the automotive industry
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.
“Efficient production is the key to our future success”
The Volkswagen brand is setting itself ambitious goals, with plans to increase productivity by 25 percent at all German factories by 2020. An interview with Dr. Andreas Tostmann, member of the Board of Management responsible for Production and Logistics.
The Arteon at a glance
10 facts you should know
Light years
Volkswagen’s journey from the functional headlight to customised light scenarios
Young engineers at Formula Student
Designing and building a race car within just one year: That’s what Formula Student Germany is about. Around 3,500 university students from all over the world took part in this year’s competition. Why Volkswagen supports this event.
Fifteen years of loyalty
The Touran Club visits Wolfsburg
Four-wheel fun at the castle
From history to the future: Volkswagen at the 13th Classic Days at Schloss Dyck
Formula Student Germany: They’re off!
The Formula Student Germany is one of the most important competitions for budding engineers who build racing cars alongside their studies. Here’s how the team from TU Hamburg is preparing for it – with the support of Volkswagen.
Five days faster!
Reorganisation at the Kassel Depot shortens travel time of replacement parts
Let’s drive
On the trail of the legendary Austrian Alpine Rally in the up! GTI
A Moscow night with flashing lights
Exploring Moscow with the Tiguan
Best of Friends
Racing driver Benjamin Leuchter and soccer-pro Max Kruse join forces
Popular in Poland
Volkswagen benefits from a strong sales boom
Future Running High
The ID. R Pikes Peak races at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
A Passat enraptured by the tango
Trip through Buenos Aires with a global bestseller
Here come the colours!
Taking the new T-Cross on the final approval drive
An automotive revolution
Volkswagen in Rwanda: Local production, sales, and new types of mobility offerings
Looking back: a Beetle in Rwanda
It’s already fifty years since a German Embassy employee set out with his Beetle to travel around Africa
Still hard to believe
The driver and other key figures look back at the Pikes Peak record run
