All Press Releases

Volkswagen Group posted robust operating results in the first half, enabling important investments in future profit pools and new platforms. The Group continued to make great strategic progress in Q2, registering crucial developments across its tech-platforms – mobility services, batteries and software.

Volkswagen Group China today unveiled its first electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) passenger drone prototype, as part of its strategy to explore and break new ground in fully electric and sustainable individual mobility concepts. In 2020, Volkswagen Group China launched a Vertical Mobility project to explore the next generation of mobility solutions, including the urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace. After intensive research, conceptual work, and development, the project team has now developed its first validation model – the V.MO. This initial prototype has also been nicknamed the ‘Flying Tiger’ due to its distinctive black and gold livery, which was painted to commemorate its launch in the Year of the Tiger.

In its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG appointed Oliver Blume as the new Chairman of the Group Board of Management. He will take over this position with effect as of 1 September 2022, combining this with his role as Chairman of the Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG and continuing in the latter capacity also after a possible IPO. Herbert Diess will at the same time resign as Chairman of the Board of Management by mutual agreement. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Hans Dieter Pötsch, thanked Herbert Diess on behalf of the entire board: “During his tenure as Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand and as Chairman of the Group Board of Management, Herbert Diess played a key role in advancing the transformation of the company. The Group and its brands are viable for the future; its innovative capabilities and earning power are strengthened. Mr. Diess impressively demonstrated the speed at which and consistency with which he was able to carry out far-reaching transformation processes. Not only did he steer the company through extremely turbulent waters, but he also implemented a fundamentally new strategy.”

The Volkswagen subsidiary Elli, which has Group-wide responsibility for all activities relating to the topic of charging and energy, is expanding its offer. The three brand-neutral wall box models are now also available in Italy, Sweden and Spain, following on from Germany. All chargers allow charging at home with a maximum charging capacity of 11 kW and are therefore up to eight times faster than a household socket. Three flexible and transparent charging tariffs are offered. The “Drive Highway” tariff for long-distance drivers has already been hailed in Germany as “the cheapest charging tariff from an independent provider” by the Europe-wide market analysis “E-Mobility Excellence Comparison 2022”.

The Volkswagen Group increased its deliveries of all-electric vehicles by 27 percent in the first six months year-on-year and thus successfully continued its global electric offensive. Despite supply bottlenecks, a temporary stop of production in Europe and Covid-related lockdowns in China, 217,100 BEVs have been handed over to customers in the first half year, up from 170,900 in the prior-year period. The BEV share of total deliveries reached a level of 5.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in the first half of 2021. The biggest growth driver was China with 63,500 BEVs – a more than three-fold increase versus the prior-year period.

At documenta fifteen, visitors are welcome to choose from three one-day and two multi-day workshops where they can join the Volkswagen-Soundorchestra and the musicians Olaf Pyras, Alan Affichard and Detlef Landeck in following unconventional ways for the creation of sounds. The ensemble invites their guests to explore the art of “SoundCycling”, a musical practice based on the use of unorthodox materials and ambient noises for designing new musical works.

Volkswagen is consistently continuing its e-mobility strategy: to kick off its battery offensive, the Group broke the ground for its first cell factory in Salzgitter today in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Production will start in 2025. With immediate effect, responsibility for global battery business is to be held by the newly created company “PowerCo”. In addition to cell production, the new company will be responsible for activities along the entire battery value chain. Up to 2030, PowerCo is to invest more than €20 billion together with partners in the development of the business area, to generate annual sales in excess of €20 billion and to employ up to 20,000 people in Europe alone.

Volkswagen delivered another important milestone of its NEW AUTO strategy with the closing of the Europcar transaction. The Group is aiming to secure a significant share of the global market for mobility services which is expected to grow rapidly in the course of the decade. Together with its consortium partners Attestor and Pon Holdings, Volkswagen will accelerate Europcar Mobility Group’s transformation to become the leader in sustainable mobility through technology and data. The company will continue its existing partnerships while, at the same time, becoming a cornerstone of Volkswagen’s future mobility platform. Europcar Mobility Group’s offer will cater to a wide variety of the customers’ mobility needs, from car sharing for a few hours to car subscription for multiple months. Pilot phases of mobility services in partnership between Volkswagen, Porsche Bank and Europcar are to start as early as Q4/22 in Vienna. Hamburg is expected to follow in Q1/23. An important next step for the platform will be the introduction of autonomous vehicles in the second half of the decade. This will enable entirely new services and lift the business to an even higher level of efficiency and profitability.

The Human Resources Department of the Volkswagen Group is fueling the company’s transformation and is now enhancing its executive leadership for the work that lies ahead in this process. Marcellus Puig, the Head of HR for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, will become the new President and CEO of the Volkswagen Group Argentina on August 1 and add a proven HR expert to the ranks of the company’s leadership. He will report to Pablo Di Si, the Executive Chairman of Volkswagen Latin America. As part of this change, Arne Meiswinkel, the General Representative of the Volkswagen Group, will become the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand on August 1. He will report to Gunnar Kilian, the Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer, and oversee the global HR work of more than 180,000 employees. Meiswinkel will also continue to be responsible for the Group’s HR principles and management at Volkswagen AG. At SEAT S.A., Dr. Laura Carnicero succeeds Xavier Ros, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG since May 20, as the Member of the Board of Management for People and Organization with effect from 1 July. She will report directly to SEAT S.A. President Wayne Griffiths.