Headed west with a pioneer spirit

Volkswagen Showcars ID. BUZZ, ID. CROZZ and ID. (f.l.t.r.)

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2017 L.A. Auto Show: First time for I.D. family all together in the USA

Endless prairies, dusty deserts and menacing mountains: European settlers in their covered wagons toiled their way through such inhospitable terrain in the mid-19^th century. In search of a better life, they crossed the Rocky Mountains, heading for the Pacific. This pioneering spirit also aptly describes Volkswagen's presence at the 2017 L.A. Auto Show. Like the early settlers, the Wolfsburg-based company is driven by the desire to conquer the New World: Volkswagen has set out to take the lead in the American market for electric vehicles by 2025.

Volkswagen in the USA: A great tradition makes for a great future!

Volkswagen Beetle near the main plant in Wolfsburg (1945)

The first automobile pioneers to venture across the pond from Lower Saxony were the legendary Volkswagen Beetle and the Type 1 transporter, affectionately known as the "Bulli" because of its chunky shape. Both embodied the spirit of their times. While the Beetle made mobility affordable for everyone, the practical Bulli stood for the carefree lifestyle of the late 1960s and early 70s.

Detail of a Volkswagen Rabbit belonging to the collection of Stiftung AutoMuseum Volkswagen

Further milestones in the lineup of U.S. models include the Golf, aka the "Rabbit", imported to the U.S. from 1975, and the Jetta. As a sporty sedan, the Jetta is one of the most popular European models to be marketed in the U.S. and is also the bestselling Volkswagen.

US version of the Volkswagen Jetta (2014)

Volkswagen's trailblazing spirit will be on display once again at the L.A. Motor Show in California when the company showcases three all-electric models that play a groundbreaking role in the brand's transformation: the Golf-sized I.D., the I.D. CROZZ, which is thirteen centimeters shorter than the Passat station wagon, and the I.D. BUZZ, a homage to the iconic Bulli.

Based on the modular electrification toolkit (MEB), these three models – like their predecessors – bring affordable mobility to the mass market. So it would be true to say they are all genuine Volkswagens.

Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, presenting the new I.D. CROZZ show car (2017 IAA)

Volkswagen comeback on the U. S. market

But every pioneer encounters setbacks: again and again, the early settlers had to cope with misfortunes on their conquest of new territory, such as broken axles as they traveled through rough terrain, looters, and wrong turns in the darkness. Just like those intrepid adventurers, Volkswagen is launching a powerful comeback on the U.S. market, despite the strains and stresses of the diesel issue.

Volkswagen's midsize family SUV – the Atlas

The brand designed the Atlas, the new midsize family SUV, developed specifically for the North American market, making investments to the tune of $900 million. Together with the compact Tiguan, the Wolfsburg-based carmaker ticks all the boxes for North American drivers. These two models will be joined by the new Jetta and the Arteon, the new premium-class sedan, in early 2018. They strengthen the portfolio of conventional models until the I.D. family makes its debut on American roads.

Unit sales also confirm the comeback: Volkswagen delivered 220,300 vehicles from January to August, a 6.4 percent increase compared with the previous year. In September 2017, like-for-like deliveries were 33.2 percent higher at 32,112 units – rising by a further 11.9 percent to 27,732 in October. This comeback is founded on Volkswagen factories such as the one in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Almost $1 billion has been invested at the plant which started production in 2011. Ever since, the manufacturing facility has been considered one of the world's greenest and most modern.

Bird's eye view of the manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee

The headcount speaks for itself, too: "Our direct workforce in the U.S. totals more than 7,000", says Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen North America. "Together with over 1,000 dealerships and countless suppliers we indirectly employ some 120,000 people in the country", Woebcken adds.

Hinrich J. Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen North America

Volkswagen in Silicon Valley

Volkswagen has always been a trailblazer when it comes to developing new technologies. Back in 2005, the autonomous vehicle named "Stanley", based on a Volkswagen Touareg and developed in cooperation with Stanford University Racing Team, won the DARPA Grand Challenge (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). Stanley was developed specifically for this competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense, and bagged the $2 million prize, at that time the biggest prize money for a robotics competition. The modified Touareg mapped its environment using five LIDAR sensors (light detection and ranging units – another pioneering concept at the time), a camera and a GPS system.

"Stanley" in action during the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge

Building on this experience, a team of engineers, designers and scientists from the "Volkswagen Group of America Electronic Research Lab" (VWGoA ERL) in Belmont, California, is conducting research on how to combine innovations from Silicon Valley with the know-how of the carmaker based in Lower Saxony. Given the high price sensitivity of the American market, Hinrich Woebcken is convinced that "the industrialization of all-electric vehicles means we can offer exactly the right package for American customers." Volkswagen will be investing €6 billion in the electrification of the brand over the next five years.

Volkswagen is laying the foundations by combining the future I.D. family with the ongoing development of other mobility solutions. Pioneering, zero-emission vehicles for the mass market will soon be making an appearance on American roads.