Together with Ford to the future

Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen AG are expanding their global cooperation. It now also includes e-mobility and – in conjunction with Argo AI – autonomous driving, to be introduced on the US and European markets. Both companies want to increase their competitiveness, tailor their products even better to the needs of customers worldwide and at the same time increase capital efficiency.

In both areas, e-mobility and autonomous driving, the two manufacturers expect synergy effects. For example, Ford intends to produce its electric models on the basis of the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) developed by Volkswagen. This will enable the US carmaker to offer at least one pure battery electric vehicle in large numbers in Europe from 2023. Access to the e-architecture already scaled-up by Volkswagen will enable Ford to expand its vehicle portfolio even more efficiently.

In addition, Volkswagen Group intends to acquire a stake in the Ford subsidiary Argo AI in order to further advance the technology for autonomous driving in the USA and Europe. Volkswagen and Ford intend to use Argo AI's Self Driving System (SDS) in their own vehicles independently of each other in order to expand the two companies’ respective mobility services. Argo AI's SDS is designed to offer fully automated driving according to SAE Level 4 and to open up new possibilities for fully automated vehicles, especially for ride sharing and delivery services.

“Making e-mobility available for everybody”

With its new electric models, Volkswagen is taking a new path in sales as well: customers can already pre-book the special edition of the ID.3* – a full year before its market launch. In our interview, board member for sales and marketing, Jürgen Stackmann, talks about e-mobility that is suitable for daily use, sales targets and the start of a new era.

The success of e-mobility depends not least on how efficient the charging infrastructure is. In the interview, Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Volkswagen Board of Management responsible for e-mobility, explains how Volkswagen is driving forward the expansion of the charging infrastructure throughout Europe, what German politicians can contribute – and which German city has the best charging network.

Volkswagen Group is expanding world wide production capacities for its electric offensive: Beginning in late 2019, the company will build e-vehicles in Europe, Asia and its U.S. plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Volkswagen commits to increasing the e-car share in the Chinese market to 50 percent of total deliveries by 2035 at the World New Energy Vehicle Congress (WNEVC): Local R&D in China will be strengthened with more than 4,500 engineers working on future technologies. “The Chinese car market is of vital importance for Volkswagen’s e-offensive. We want to expand our leadership role through local partnerships and increased R&D work in the country,” says Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess.

36,000 charging points for electric vehicles in Europe planned for 2025 throughout the Group – including 11,000 planned by the Volkswagen brand. Cross-brand investment in charging infrastructure totaling €250 million. “We urgently need an e-mobility master plan focusing on charging infrastructure in Germany now,” says Thomas Ulbrich, e-mobility board member.

Electric cars are becoming ever more popular – not least of all due to Volkswagen AG’s electrification campaign. But a good charging infrastructure is also part of it. Professor Henning Kagermann, chairman of the National Platform Future of Mobility (NPM), explains in this interview how that works and why e-mobility is so important.

In the future, Volkswagen Group will offer e-mobility for all – and will assume overall responsibility: from vehicle concepts, through production, sales and operations, on to recycling. To this end, Volkswagen Group Components in Salzgitter is currently setting up its own pilot plant for battery recycling.

Volkswagen is converting two plants in northern Germany (Emden and Hanover) into e-locations. The brand is thus systematically implementing its electrical strategy.

How does the electric-era change the work of car designers? What characterizes the DNA of the ID. family? And what role does augmented reality play in daily work? Volkswagen Chief Designer Klaus Bischoff gives the answers.

“We want to master software development as well as vehicle development in the future.” Christian Senger, is member of the board of management of Volkswagen brand and responsible for Digital Car & Services. He explains the new software organization, whose tasks include the development of software for automated driving, i.e. all preliminary stages up to level 5.

More than a few denizens of the city have been pleasantly astonished by the sight of autonomous e-Golfs* driving on the streets of Hamburg. The driver only grabs the wheel in exceptional circumstances.

“The cars of the future must above all be driverless, electric, and safe. By accelerating its group wide electric offensive, Volkswagen has set the stage for transforming drive technology. It goes without saying that we will see various types of driverless cars on our streets, soon. Great advances are being made in the necessary technology,” says CEO Herbert Diess. Here are the key messages:

Autonomous driving is the lynchpin in Volkswagen’s transformation from car maker to mobility provider. It will play a central role for Volkswagen in the future. Thanks in part to expertise from Saxony.

Combustion engines have dominated sound design in the automotive sector right from the start. But in the age of e-mobility, car interiors have become spaces of calm that call for design. We talked to two experts on the subject.