All Press Releases

Ford Motor Company and the Volkswagen Group are expanding their e-mobility partnership. Ford plans to produce another electric model for the European market based on the MEB platform. The automaker will also double its planned MEB volume to 1.2 million units over a six-year timeframe. The agreement was signed as part of the strategic alliance between Volkswagen and Ford, which includes e-mobility, commercial vehicles and autonomous driving. Designed as an open vehicle platform, the MEB (Modular Electric Toolkit) allows car manufacturers to electrify their portfolio quickly and cost-effectively.

The Volkswagen Group proved the robustness of its business model in 2021. The company increased its overall resilience and improved its capabilities to cope with constraints. Overhead costs were successfully reduced, capex discipline was high and the break-even was lowered. At the same time Volkswagen drove its transformation to NEW AUTO forward. A solid profit was achieved despite strong headwinds from semiconductor shortages that led to a decrease in vehicle sales of around 600,000 units compared to 2020. This was 2.4 million fewer units than 2019. Although sales volumes were down 6 percent on prior year, sales revenue increased by 12 percent to EUR 250.2 billion. Operating profit before special items almost doubled compared to 2020 and reached a solid level of EUR 20.0 billion. The operating return on sales before special items also climbed to 8.0 percent after 4.8 percent in prior year. Key to this financial performance was a better mix and favorable pricing. The Automotive Division generated a strong net cash flow of EUR 8.6 billion, a 35 percent year-on-year increase. The Automotive Division’s net liquidity remained almost unchanged compared to the end of 2020, at EUR 26.7 billion. However, this corresponds to an increase of more than EUR 5 billion since the end of 2019, despite the multitude of transformational steps that have been taken in this timeframe, including the acquisition of Navistar. The Board of Management and Supervisory Board are proposing a dividend of EUR 7.50 per ordinary share and EUR 7.56 per preferred share, an increase of 56 percent compared to EUR 4.80 or EUR 4.86, respectively, in the preceding year. This equals to a payout ratio of 25.4 percent. Earnings per ordinary share amounted to EUR 29.59 (16.60) and earnings per preferred share were at EUR 29.65 (16.66).

The Volkswagen Group has received the news about the war in Ukraine with great dismay and shock. Volkswagen continues to hope for a cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomacy. We are convinced that a sustainable solution to the conflict can only be found on the basis of international law.

Green Mobility Holding, a bidder consortium consisting of Volkswagen Group, Attestor Limited and Pon Holdings B.V., today reaffirmed its sustained commitment to the takeover offer for the shares of Europcar Mobility Group.

Wolfsburg, February 24, 2022 – Volkswagen AG today announced that it will conduct an assessment on the feasibility of a potential initial public offering of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen concluded a framework agreement reflecting the respective discussions between Volkswagen AG and Porsche Automobil Holding SE and providing a basis for the next steps to prepare a potential listing. The Group’s Board of Management believes that a possible IPO of Porsche would be an important next step in the successfully launched transformation of Volkswagen into a vertically integrated mobility group and leading provider of software-based and emission-free mobility. The actual feasibility of an IPO depends on several different parameters as well as general market conditions. No final decisions have been made.

Volkswagen has made significant progress in decarbonizing its vehicle fleet on its path to becoming a sustainable, software-centric mobility group. In 2021, 472,300 electrified vehicles were delivered in the EU including Norway and Iceland, 64 percent more than in the previous year. The proportion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) rose to 17.2 percent of total deliveries (2020: 10.1 percent). The Group is thus the clear market leader in the BEV segment in Europe, accounting for a market share of around 25 percent. Based on preliminary figures, the Group achieved average CO₂ emissions of 118.5 g/km in 2021 for its new passenger car fleet in the EU, which is around 2 percent below the legal target. The final confirmation by the EU Commission is to follow at a later date. The emissions of Bentley and Lamborghini are measured individually, which is why they are not included in this figure.

The Volkswagen Group and the Bosch Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the establishment of a European battery equipment solution provider. The two companies plan to supply integrated battery production systems as well as on-site ramp-up and maintenance support for battery cell and system manufacturers. The companies are aiming for cost and technology leadership in the industrialization of battery technology and the volume production of sustainable, cutting-edge batteries. Through the “local for local” production approach, this will also be a step towards the objective of carbon-neutral mobility. In Europe alone, the Volkswagen Group plans to build six cell factories by 2030.

Volkswagen drove forward its transformation into a sustainable, software-centric mobility group in the year now ended and approximately doubled its BEV deliveries year-on-year to 452,900 units. These now account for 5.1 percent of total deliveries, up from 2.5 percent in the previous year. The Group is the European market leader for battery-electric vehicles by a large margin and achieved the second-largest share of the key US market with about 7.5 percent. In China, 92,700 BEVs were delivered, more than four times the figure for 2020. Sales of plug-in hybrids worldwide also rose significantly to 309,500 units (+61 percent). In total, the Group delivered 8,882,000 vehicles to customers around the world. As forecast, the global semiconductor shortage led to a slight decrease of 4.5 percent versus 2020 despite high customer demand and full order books.

Brose Sitech has been operating on the global market as an independent supplier of seat systems since January 1, 2022. The cooperation partners Brose and Volkswagen each hold a 50 percent stake in the joint venture. The headquarters is Polkowice in Poland. Around 5,000 employees work at a total of eight sites in Poland, Germany, China and the Czech Republic. Brose Sitech expects to double business volume to 2.8 billion euros by 2030. The number of employees is expected to rise to around 7,000.