In his keynote address, Sébastien Martin, France’s Minister Delegate for Industry, shared his perspective on “Made in Europe”. This was followed by a discussion with Oliver Blume.
Scaling and artificial intelligence as efficiency levers
Platforms, architectures and modules are to be scaled more consistently across the Group. Joint development, reduced duplication of work and the targeted use of artificial intelligence throughout hardware and software development are intended to shorten development times and bring innovations to customers faster. At the same time, the brands will retain their differentiation through design, character and positioning.
Arno Antlitz, CFO & COO Volkswagen Group: “Our starting position remains robust, even in a challenging market: powerful brands, competitive products, leading technologies. The purpose of our Future Plan is to protect these strengths and put them on a more sustainable financial foundation. Volkswagen is not stepping back from the future. We are investing with greater focus and discipline. By using our scale, our brand portfolio and our technology base more effectively. That is how we strengthen profitability today while preserving our ability to innovate tomorrow.”
Werner Tietz, member of the Group’s Extended Executive Committee for Research & Development: “We want to make consistent use of our technological strength across all brands in the Group. Shared technology where it creates added value. Clear differentiation where customers experience the difference. The Electric Urban Car Family shows how this works: jointly developed and produced in Europe, while giving each brand a strong and distinctive character.”
Electric Urban Car Family: European cooperation becomes a product
For the first time, all four production vehicles of the Electric Urban Car Family – the Volkswagen ID. Polo and ID. Cross, the Škoda Epiq and the CUPRA Raval – appeared together on stage. More than 80 percent of the components and technologies are shared across the family. The models are produced in Martorell and Pamplona. The common technical base creates economies of scale while also enabling distinctive designs and brand profiles that appeal to different customer segments. At the time of the event, the model family had received almost 150,000 orders.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand and Head of the Brand Group Core: “The Electric Urban Car Family shows what ‘For Europe’ means in practice: strong cars, developed and built in Europe, that people really want. Competitiveness, industrial strength and electric mobility for many can go hand in hand. From Europe, for Europe.”
Acting together – For Europe
The contributions in Paris shared a common ambition: Europe’s industrial future will be created when companies resolutely drive their transformation and policymakers establish reliable, innovation-friendly and competitive framework conditions. The Volkswagen Group intends to contribute through investments, European production networks, scalable technologies and attractive vehicles.
“For Europe” therefore stands for a concrete industrial agenda: combining existing strengths, scaling innovations faster and turning technological expertise into growth, value creation and employment in Europe.
