True Volkswagen – the core virtues of Volkswagen as the key to success

True Volkswagen

Volkswagen core virtues as the key to success. Before the Volkswagen brand embarked on its journey into the future, the brand had to realign itself by answering the question: What really makes a Volkswagen special? The answer? For decades now, Volkswagen has been the largest car manufacturer in Europe thanks to its wide product range, high quality standards, high level of technical expertise as well as its timeless, clear design and intuitive operating concept. The secret to this success: Volkswagen updates many product lines over generations – and continuously impresses with new technical features and high reliability. In addition, a high recognition value in the design and established model names such as Polo, Golf or Passat ensure an emotional connection to the products.

New models in the various segments – from the up! small car up to the Touareg in the luxury class – have been added and strengthened the overall image of the company in the public eye. Over the decades, the brand’s own labels such as GTI, GTE, TDI or R convey common sense or also driving pleasure, thus lending the brand additional character.

Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Volkswagen Group Board of Management since July 2022, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand and Head of the Brand Group Core: “In 2022, we took a clear decision in the Brand Board of Management: we were going to sharpen up the Volkswagen brand and once again consistently focus on our core virtues. Because it is precisely these virtues that are at the core of our brand – they are the key to our customers and to the future of Volkswagen. We call this realignment “True Volkswagen”. Starting in 2026 with the debut of the new ID. Polo, new ID. Cross and new ID.3 Neo, we are launching the first electric product lines that reflect this new Volkswagen philosophy and will enrich the small car and compact class.”

True Volkswagen focuses on three aspects:

Aspiration – the leadership role. Thomas Schäfer: “Our aspiration at Volkswagen is clear: we want to deliver results at the highest level and not be second or third. Our goal is to be the leader among high-volume manufacturers – also in the comparison tests of the international media. We have democratised mobility over decades with reliable models, precise driving dynamics, continuous technical innovations and high quality. Based on exactly this aspiration, we will now also make electric mobility affordable and thus a part of everyday life for more people than ever before.”

Excitement – fascination in every class. A Volkswagen vehicle has to excite. This only works through consistently customer-oriented thinking and action. The new ID. models deliver technical perfection, a clear design, tangible and visible premium quality and a spacious interior. Equipment, operating convenience, look, feel and material quality ensure a 100 per cent Volkswagen feeling. The new Volkswagen models reflect the newly developed Pure Positive design language. They stand for the art of developing the brand’s design DNA over decades, reinterpreting it and adapting it to the spirit of the times.

Modular toolkits – the technical basis for success. The Volkswagen Group has spent the past few decades developing and continuously refining a cross-brand concept of technological platforms. In electric mobility, the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) is of fundamental importance. The latest development stage is the MEB+, which will make its debut in Volkswagen’s ID. Polo, ID. Cross and ID.3 Neo models. It is precisely this technical foundation that has enabled the brand to add features that would otherwise not be financially viable for these vehicle classes. Technical progress is no longer introduced in the product lines only from top to bottom, but also the other way round. One example of this revolutionary process is the next generation of the Connected Travel Assist system – for the first time, the system now automatically stops the vehicle at red traffic lights. The ID. Polo, ID. Cross and ID.3 Neo will be the first Volkswagen models to be fitted with this system.

Kai Grünitz, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development, says: “There are surprising details in the new technology matrix. They represent that certain something that sets Volkswagen apart and that we are proud of.”